"A young man, wearing nothing but a linen garment, was following Jesus. When they seized him, he fled naked, leaving his garment behind." (Mark 14:51-52) A number of possible identities have been proposed for this mysterious streaker. Which identity do scholars tend to agree on the most?

MrBump

Many people think it was Mark, the Gospel writer's way of saying that HE was there. http://www.zimbio.com/Christianity/articles/1703/Lectionary+blogging+Easter+Sunday+Mark+16 Jun 16 09, 12:33 AM

busted123

Through joining up (for free) at http://www.ebible.com and by further study at links seen there, and through Google when I put in the gospel and verse, I've studied these commentaries: http://www.biblegateway.com and its commenaries, and also a commentary I own "Jameson, Faucett and Brown" -plus looking at http:www.is-bt.com (is-btl?)and reading the entire chapter in the KJV, the NIV, the Amplified Bible, and more seen on mainly through the biblegateway site: I am mainly taken with the story of Jesus washing the feet of the disciples at the Last Supper = That he "got up, took off his clothes, and wrapped a towel (some say "sheet") around his waist" and began to wash the disciples' feet" = The action of a servant. Peter was quick to say the Master should not that, but when Jesus answered it was done because a master must always be a servant; Peter still didn't 'get it' because he didn't show the humility of a servant = Peter said: "Then wash my head and hands, too!" = Peter was thinking a bit too much about himself and not enough about the true lesson given: That to be a servant is to love all = It's in keeping with Jesus' last commandment: "Love your neighbor as you would love yourself" = "God is love" (OT) To be a servant to all shows the love of God the in its best Christian way. It is actually the best way to be in any religion: It is the spiritual way to be, the "truth" of Jesus as God, the "truth" that love for everyone = God-like behavior. So: Mark 14:51-52 = In referring to a man who DID follow Jesus and the Pharisees after Judas' betrayal (and who followed still, after the disciples all ran away, and very much after Peter at first tries to fight the Pharisee's swordsmen)...This man is in wrapped aroung the waist with linen = That is not only similar to Jesus' dress while washing feet to further teach his last (before death) truth (he washed Judas' feet too... ...Linen is also the cloth used at that time to wrap the dead, with various spices, which has me now quite convinced that the man referred in Mark 14:51-52 is there to represent Jesus himself = After death, and as the servant-spirit who should/may reside in every Christian who carefully follows not only chapter and (many) verses, but also the entire variety of biblical information and commentary (much is repeated in various ways, because a lot of folks are like Peter and it's needed). There you have it: As complete a bible study as I can now provide for you. Please follow any link given; one may lead to a domain (get out), but others give more links as seen here. Look for them in green (use your virus and firewall protection) under that verse if you enter it into Google. Jun 16 09, 5:02 AM

star_gazer

Thank you for the ideas, please note that it was a chilly night as shown by Peter who soon after sits by a fire which allows him to be recognized. (Luke 22:55) It is unlikely a young man would be outside shivering in only a type of loin cloth. The possibilities are: There really was a young disciple present at Gethsemane whose bizarre attire (or, rather, lack of attire) surprised no one; the traditional interpretation, that it was Mark’s way of saying “I was there,” is the right one. The young man of Mark 14:51-52 is the same neaniskos as in Mark 16:5-7. This would make him an angel, or something like an angel — at any rate, present in the story as a semeion rather than a historically accurate lunatic. Secret Mark is, as advertised, a fragment of a gospel written by Mark for “advanced” disciples, and Mark 14:51-52 is a canonical remnant of the original story. In this case, the naked young man was probably Lazarus, and the sindon has something to do with the lad’s initiation into a higher level of spiritual insight. Secret Mark is a fragment of a gospel written by some other person, perhaps Carpocrates, for “advanced” disciples, explaining the young disciple’s presence at Gethsemane and his bizarre attire in terms that seemed reasonable to second-century Christians. In this case, as with the second possibility, the naked young man was probably Lazarus, and the sindon has something to do with the lad’s initiation into a higher level of spiritual insight. http://www.extremelysmart.com/insight/accurate/Mark_14_51-52.php Jun 16 09, 1:01 PM