In Mark 14:51 at the arrest of Jesus in Gethsemane, there was a “certain young man, having a linen cloth cast about his naked body ,and the young men laid hold on him: and he left the linen cloth, and fled from them naked.” In all my years, I do not remember reading this portion before, nor hearing anyone address this…why is it there and what does it mean?
Many believe that the young man who literally escaped without even the clothes on his back was John Mark himself, who was only about 9 or 10 years old at the time. He was the son of the “other Mary” among the Lord’s followers, who accompanied Mary Magdalene to the Lord’s tomb on Resurrection morning. (Matt. 28:1) As a young man, he accompanied Paul and Barnabas for a time and wrote the gospel that bears his name, which is actually Peter’s account of events.