We find many little anecdotes as we read the Bible. They show up in the middle of a bigger story and we are tempted to breeze past them. This morning I was reading in the gospel of Mark. In chapter 14 the main story is the arrest of Jesus and Peter's denial of Jesus. But tucked away in vs. 50-52 there is a strange little mini-story:
"Meanwile, all his disciples deserted him and ran away. There was a young man following along behind, clothed only in a linen nightshirt. When the mob tried to grab him, they tore off his clothes, but he escaped and ran away naked." (NLT)
As I read this I began to wonder why this story was included. Was it just for comic relief because the story was going to get really heavy in the next chapter? Or is there a deeper meaning? If we really believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God given to man, then we can't honestly believe that there are any throwaway verses. There has to be a purpose for every word in the Word. I confess, as I dwelled on this passage, I didn't receive any life-changing revelations concerning this passage, but I did have two life-affirming thoughts. I will share them over the next two days' posts.
Another thought. I'll bet this guy's mother told him never to leave the house without wearing clean underwear. Now he understands why.
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