Kata Markon

[JFAlward AT aol.com]

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.