Who Remains With Jesus: Mark 14:50-52
Even when the world abandons us, God does not leave our side. The Father will never forsake us or leave us alone. He may allow us to choose to leave His embrace, but even then, He is still ready to welcome us back into His arms. We are never truly abandoned, even when we want to be.
Yesterday, we saw that when Jesus was confronted, He stepped up and followed the will of the Father. Today, the disciples flee. Every single disciple abandoned Jesus.
Several hours prior to this moment, each of the disciples said they would not abandon Jesus. Yet, as soon as an armed throng of people show up, all bets are off. The disciples flee, leaving Jesus to face the religious leaders alone.
That’s the underlying premise to the overarching point of this portion of the story. The disciples flee because they are not spiritually prepared. The disciples flee because they aren’t one with the Father. The disciples flee because they don’t really understand what God can accomplish. Without trying to be judgmental, the disciples flee because they genuinely don’t understand God and His plan.
To be completely fair, I don’t either. I’m not trying to judge the disciples here; all I am trying to do is have an honest look. I would’ve faired no better under their circumstances, I’m sure.
All the disciples flee. It isn’t like some of them flee. It isn’t like the minor disciples flee. Everyone flees, including James, John, and Peter. While the disciples have proven they can stay by Jesus’ side when confronted by an angry crowd, once their life is imminently in peril, flight mode kicks in. From the minor to the greatest, all flee.
Mark tells us about a young man who throughout history has become know as the “Streaker in the Garden.” This young man also flees when the trouble starts. When someone gets a handle on his linen, this young man leaves his clothing behind and runs away naked rather than get caught.
There is no proof about the identity of the young man, but throughout much of history we believed this young man is Mark himself. From the historical record, we know that Luke and Matthew used Mark’s Gospel as a basis to expound upon. Mark’s story came first. However, the Streaker in the Garden doesn’t show up in Matthew or Luke. Therefore, we conclude this part of the story isn’t a major point. Thus, it must be important to Mark. Theologians conclude – admittedly on a hunch without any concrete proof – the streaker is Mark and these verses are a personal confession that he also abandoned Jesus when the armed throng appeared.
We leave this story with Jesus abandoned. He is abandoned by His human companions. The Father is still with Jesus as Jesus fulfills God’s plan. Even when the world abandons us, God does not leave our side.
