Tag: absolute truth

The Man Who Left His Clothes Behind

Carl Pollard

There’s a strange detail buried in the story of Jesus’ arrest. Mark 14:51–52 says, “And a young man followed him, with nothing but a linen cloth about his body. And they seized him, but he left the linen cloth and ran away naked.”

And then…he disappears. No name. No explanation. A young man sprinting into the darkness without his clothes. My question is why would Mark include that?

We can’t know for certain who the young man was. Some have suggested that it may have been Mark himself. That’s possible, but the text never identifies him.

What we do know is that Mark has placed this bizarre moment immediately after one of the saddest statements in his Gospel, “And they all left him and fled.” Mark 14:50

Jesus had spent years surrounded by people. Crowds followed Him. Disciples traveled with Him. Peter had just promised, “If I must die with you, I will not deny you.” Then the soldiers arrived and suddenly, following Jesus became dangerous. And everybody ran! 

Mark seems almost determined to show us how complete the abandonment was. Even this unnamed young man was so desperate to escape that when they grabbed his clothing, he chose to lose the clothing rather than stay with Jesus. He left everything behind (including his dignity) to get away.

There’s another young man later in the Gospel. After Jesus is crucified, several women enter His tomb. Mark 16:5 says, “And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe…”

The first young man is fleeing into the darkness. The second is sitting inside an empty tomb announcing, “He has risen; he is not here.”They aren’t necessarily the same person. In fact, the young man in the tomb most likely an angelic messenger.

But the contrast is pretty cool. In chapter 14, everything looks lost. Jesus is arrested. His followers scatter. A young man runs away exposed and afraid. By chapter 16, everything has changed. The tomb is empty. Death has been defeated. And another young man, now clothed in white, announces victory.

That’s the story of the gospel. Sometimes we judge what God is doing while we’re standing in Mark 14. Everything is dark. Plans have collapsed. People have disappeared. Nothing makes sense.

But the story isn’t over. There’s still a Mark 16 coming. The same Gospel that records a man running terrified into the darkness ends with an empty tomb.

Sometimes the chapter that looks like the end is only three days away from resurrection.

Why Is The World Asking “Why?”

Neal Pollard

Today, everyone is hurting. Whether because of gun or knife violence or vehicular homicide, groups of people in our nation and other parts of the world are being torn from time and prematurely vaulted into eternity. We weep and mourn for the loss. We consider the enormous grief and heartache multiplied many families face from California to Florida, Connecticut to Texas, Colorado to Tennessee, Virginia to Nevada (and many other places).  Those whose voices we hear the most through all of this, like the national and local media, seem fixated on learning the perpetrator’s motive each time it occurs. Experts and analysts look at religious ideology or mental health issues. It seems as if they believe that if they can determine the motive, that will solve the violent epidemic that has disturbed the peace of so many people in our society. The danger of oversimplifying any specific tragedy notwithstanding, there are some right answers the world will have a difficult time embracing but that get us so much closer to resolving this plaguing problem. Why are these horrific crimes occurring?

  • The world has rejected God. Romans 1:28 says, “ And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper….” “Not proper” seems benign to us in the way we use the phrase in English (bad table manners, having your shirt untucked, etc.). Kittel says, “Paul has in mind what is offensive even to natural human judgment. The decision against God leads to a complete loss of moral sensitivity, the unleashing of unnatural vices, and hence the type of conduct that even healthy pagans regard as improper” (386). Paul tells us this improper conduct includes “all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife” and other things we see in these current tragedies (29, cf. 30-31). Read the context to appreciate the rotten fruit of such thinking.
  • The world has redefined sin. A worldview or value system is built bit by bit, choice by choice. Paul writes, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life” (Gal. 6:7-8). If we devalue human life through sinful practices like abortion or euthanasia, we plant destructive seed. If we glorify violence or imbibe in sins like pornography that objectify human beings, we plant desensitizing seed. Long ago, Isaiah warned, “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” (5:20). Such leads to weeds which choke out spiritual fruit.
  • The world has rebelled against biblical counsel. The absolute truth of Scripture is lost in the shuffle of worldly values. Jesus says, “Treat others the same way you want them to treat you” (Luke 6:31). He says, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Mat. 5:44). Paul echoes, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Rom. 12:21). He also writes, “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others” (Phil. 2:3-4). The Bible urges us to be kind, unselfish, compassionate, and helpful through precepts and examples. The world has ignored the ethics of Scripture in preference of humanistic philosophy.
  • The world has replaced God with self as lord. What is the ultimate consequence of denying God the place that rightfully belongs only to Him? Isaiah referred to a worldly nation, saying, “I have spread out My hands all day long to a rebellious people, Who walk in the way which is not good, following their own thoughts” (65:2). Repeatedly, Scripture decries the folly of crowning ourselves king and dethroning God (Jer. 10:23; Prov. 14:12; 16:25).  When a society writes its own rules or tries to live life on its own terms, it charts a path for heartache and disaster. How concisely Solomon says this, that “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace (shame, reproach) to any people” (Prov. 14:34). When whatever a person says, wants, or believes is what goes, ultimately nothing is out of bounds for him or her.

Brethren, in this frightening, dark, and uncertain atmosphere, a world which “lies in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19), we must share what we know! John says, “We know that we are of God…and we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life” (5:19a, 20). We have security, confidence, understanding, and hope, all because of God and His Son. Take courage and share that with everyone you can! It’s the only hope the world has!

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