Who are you and why are you naked? (2)

In an earlier post, I asked about a mysterious figure who emerges in Mark's account of Jesus' betrayal at Gethsemane. I had a few people give me some insights from things they had read about this character, but that still did not satisfy my curiosity. I found several (if somewhat dated) resources in the library here at the International Learning Center that dealt with this passage.

Lamar Williamson, in his commentary on Mark, asks a series of questions about the identity of this young man, identifying particular scholars who have held to each interpretation in parenthesis. He writes:
"Is this young man the apostle John (Ambrose, Chrysostom, Bede)? Or James, the brother of Jesus (Epiphanius)? Or a resident of the house where Jesus and the disciples had eaten the Passover dinner (Thophylact)? Is this the evangelist himself (i.e. Mark), who secretly signs his work in this way (many 19th century commentators)? Is this incident a narrative developed out of Joseph's flight from Potiphar's wife (Gen. 39:12), or from the prediction of Amos 2:16 of warriors fleeing naked 'in that day' (C.G. Montefiore)? Is the young man a typological figure standing for desertion, as Peter stands for denial and Judas for betrayal (Farrer). Is the the account of an eyewitness known to, but other than, Mark, introduced here to convey the sense of reality (Taylor)? Or the remnant of a secret Gospel of Mark in which a young man comes to Jesus by night for instruction and baptism into the mystery of the Kingdom of God (Morton Smith)? Is this the young man who will reappear in 16:5-7, sitting in the tomb announcing Jesus' resurrection, introduced here to intimate rescue from death and ultimate reintegration (Kelber)? Or is this 'boy in the shirt,' like James Joyce's 'man in the macintosh/ in Ulysses, an irreducible secret introduced by the author to tease the reader (Kermode)?"

This paragraph points to many of the ways in which commentators have tried to deal with this character, and, to be sure, there are countless other interpretations of this man's identity. Suffice it to say that nothing written here will settle the two thousand year debate. But a few observations can be made.

First, the interpretation that the young man was Mark is funny to me. It seems a bit like college. Here is how I envision this playing out.
Mark: Hey guys. Read this story and guess which character is me?
College Buddy 1: I read it, and I knew right away which one was you.
College Buddy 2: I don't even have to read it. I bet you're naked.

Many commentators (most of whom know way more than me) still seem to think this is the best answer. Interesting.

Second, I find the Amos 2:16 allusion fascinating. Throughout the New Testament we see the various writers make allusions to Old Testament prophecies. Often the NT writers interpretation of those prophecies is nothing like what the people familiar with them were expecting. I think this fits right in with that pattern. A cryptic fulfillment of prophecy. Maybe there is something there.

Third, a few commentators take it to be an example of a particular kind of abandonment of Jesus. I really like this line of thinking. In the broader context of this passage we see three types of abandonment. The first is abandonment through apathy. The disciples slept through critical moments while Jesus prayed at Gethsemane, unaware that their discipleship was being tested. Another type is the conscious betrayal of the Lord under the mask of friendship (Judas). A third type is flight in a time of pressure (this young man). These same types of abandonment are reenacted every day. This does not mean that the character was not really there, but rather that his significance was not in who he was, but in what he did.

All of this is of course in contrast to the example of Jesus, who, though he knew what he was facing, remained faithful to his calling and the guidance and direction of the Father. While I am not really any clearer on the identity of this naked guy, I am challenged to strive for the faithfulness of Jesus, and not to take the route of the faithlessness of the disciples. We are called to discipleship. Let us resolve not to betray our Lord, deny our Lord, or run away naked from our Lord when things get tough. Jesus told us things would be tough. And yet he still called us to discipleship.