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gmark AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Kata Markon

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  • From: JFAlward AT aol.com
  • To: gmark AT franklin.oit.unc.edu
  • Subject: Flight of the Naked Young Man
  • Date: Tue, 13 Mar 2001 01:35:58 EST

Joe Alward:

I've argued that the flight of the naked man was meant by Mark to

symbolically expose the uncleanliness and shame of Jerusalem and the high
priests:
========
Shawn Kelley:

If that's the case, why is the young man (a) following Jesus and (b) seized,
presumably by those sent (from the HP) to arrest Jesus?   If we have to find
meaning in this scene (and maybe Mark just thought it was an interesting
detail to throw into the story), shouldn't the nakedness express something of
the shame of the other followers of Jesus? Shawn Kelley
==========
Joe Alward:

Mark evidently wants readers to infer that the young man was seized because
he was following Jesus and appeared to be sympathetic toward him and
receptive of his teachings.  Mark shamed the disciples sufficiently by having
them run away; they had tried their pitiful best to serve him, so Mark
couldn't have them run away naked.  The greater shame represented by running
away naked was reserved symbolically for the priests and for those in
Jerusalem who were receptive to the teachings of Jesus, but were too cowardly
to stand beside Jesus even for a short while.  

The disciples and the young man are the "seed sown on rocky places" Mark had
Jesus speak of in Mark 4:16-17:  They received with joy the word of the Lord,
but when trouble came they quickly fell away.





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