Man of the Cloth
Cloth is such a marvelous invention. It has been around so long and takes such a prominent place in our lives that we take it for granted. Cloth is used in many places and in so many ways that to list them all would be practically impossible. But here is a short attempt:
We cover ourselves with cloth. In fact, it is likely that most of us are in contact with cloth 99.9% of our hours, whether waking or sleeping hours. Even if you sleep nude (weirdo), you are likely to have coverings on your bed made of cloth which you touch throughout the night.
We use cloth as protection from both the cold and from heat. Warm coats in the winter, hot pads in the kitchen, and even fire retardant cloth through the fire are common uses of cloth.
Cloth covers our chairs, our windows, our floors and even our wounds.
We make statements with cloth. Some cloth is fashionable and some cloth is not so fashionable. Our national flags and emblems are made of cloth. We wave cloth when we cheer and when we mourn we use cloth to wipe our tears.
We use cloth to decorate, adding color to a bland room. We also use it to clean. Dirty rags are among the most useful tools around the house and factory.
We make nets with cloth, toys of cloth, shelters of cloth and artwork of cloth.
There is waterproof cloth, fireproof cloth, freeze proof cloth, reflective cloth, absorbent cloth, camouflage cloth and neon colored cloth.
We make cloth from animal hair, cotton cloth, cloth weaved of plastics, blended cloth and even cloth of metal wire weave.
Cloth is everywhere, all around us, all the time. We don’t recognize it most of the time, yet it is still there.
Now, with all that being said, I want to focus my attention for this post on a time, an account, when cloth was absent. This account is mentioned in a couple of the gospels in the New Testament. It happened when Jesus was betrayed. A large group of men were sent to apprehend this rebel called Jesus. This posse was sent by the religious leaders of Jerusalem to get Jesus and round up all his followers if possible.
According to the account, the rounding up occurred under the cover of dark, late at night, near the Garden of Gethsemane. Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss and then all hell breaks loose. In spite of the lack of charges, Jesus gives himself up. Unfortunately Jesus’ actions did not stop the gang of hoodlums from going after his disciples and followers. There was one follower described as “a young man… with nothing but a linen cloth around his body.” There it is - the ever present cloth.
Well, according to the testimony, the group arresting Jesus tried to apprehend this young man. In the struggle that ensued the young man was able to wrestle himself free leaving behind his “linen cloth” and “ran away naked.” That boy was out of there in a flash (pun totally intended). Whether purposely omitted or simply because the author of the account did not know, the young man’s name is never mentioned. It is likely best that way. Can you imagine being the young man known by name as running away, buck naked, while Jesus is arrested in the most published book in the history of mankind? That would be ignominious in the extreme.
In any event, the account is recorded and we need to understand why. Why, in such a monumental event, was this short account of the naked young man included? There is of course the obvious reason: to impress upon the reader just how dangerous the situation was perceived by those involved. If anyone is willing to run away naked, you know that person is scared to death. Most of us will do anything to not be totally naked in public. This young man probably had the same regard for being clothed as we do, but he was terrified and running for his life.
All the rest of Jesus’ followers and disciples ran away as well. Only Jesus, the one who gave Himself up, was brought before the religious leaders in the debacle they called a trial. But that is a story for a different time. I want to focus on the question - why account for the naked young man? Along with the obvious answer of the sheer terror in the event I believe there is a spiritual lesson to be observed.
What was that young man running from? He was running from more than just the angry and obviously aggressive men that apprehended Jesus and then came after him. That young man fled from his association with Jesus. In running, he intended to escape from being tied to the guilt falsely connected to the Person he was following. We do not know how long this young man followed Jesus, but he was there, late at night, when Jesus’ persecution and eventual execution began. He was there when the prophesied, greatest sacrifice of the Son of God commenced. He was there when the Messiah began His final act to fulfill the requirement of the Law and save creation from damnation. But rather than be associated with the One to be sacrificed, he chose to leave his cloth behind and run naked into the night.
I will not judge this young man. Indeed, I would have done the same thing. No one would stand with Jesus - not one. But I think it is interesting that in the account while he followed Jesus, whatever the timing or reason, he had his linen cloth about him. He was covered. That common cloth was there when he was following. But the moment he ran he lost that cloth, his covering, and when off naked into darkness.
He may have escaped any association with Jesus and the punishment that was sure to come with it. But in his escape he was left naked, scared, alone and in darkness. I wonder if this account is not put here so that we might understand that even in the most terrifying times, even in the most troubling moments, even when our life is endangered, our most secure place will be with Jesus. It is with Him where we find our comfort, where we find our covering, where we can hold fast to our security and strength. When we are with Jesus we do not need to run off naked and terrified into darkness.
As I have already stated, I do not blame this young man. I would have done the same. To be absolutely transparent, I have done the same. I have at times in my life chosen the scared, naked, dark path instead of relying on Jesus. But at times I have chosen to stick with Jesus, clothed in His grace, covered in His love. At times I have chosen to be a man of the cloth.
Maybe you have, in the past, done the same exercise as the young man did the night Jesus was betrayed. Maybe you have run instead of being associated with the Lord. Maybe even now you find yourself on the run, naked and in the dark. My encouragement to you, and prayer for you, is that you will run no longer. Stay with Jesus. Come hell or high water, remain with Him who is your Rock and Salvation.
Mark 14:51-52