Mark 14:51  And there followed him a certain young man, having a linen cloth cast about his naked body; and the young men laid hold on him:
52  And he left the linen cloth, and fled from them naked.

There is a statement which says: ‘curiosity killed the cat’. We all have some level of curiosity. God gives man a certain amount of curiosity. He not only gives us a curiosity, but He also shows us how we can satisfy that curiosity. We can know there is a God by looking up into the heavens. We can know where we came from by reading Genesis 1&2. We can know what is wrong with us by reading Genesis 3. We can know how to fix our problem by reading the Bible and by hearing the Word of God preached.
The verses we have in our text are not found in any other of the four Gospels. We are not given the identity of this man. Some have assumed this must have been Mark. The disciples/apostles came with Jesus from the upper room. They would all have been dressed in their regular garments. The disciples fell asleep while Jesus went to pray; however, they were all dressed.
We are told in this passage that this man was naked and when the soldiers came to arrest Jesus, he was there as well. We are told this man had a linen cloth cast about him. We are not told any other details about why this man was there. For whatever reason, this man chose to spend the night on the mount of Olives. None of this was a surprise to God.
Jesus’ disciples all fled. They were scared and they ran at the threat of being arrested with Jesus. This man was different. He was there, close enough to where Jesus was being arrested and they laid hold on him. They were going to take him into custody. This scared this man and he left his linen cloth behind and fled from them. He was naked. He was not properly dressed to be out in public.
Again, God did not give us all the details. He put this in here to show us something. What can we learn from this?
The Bible tells us that those who are saved are clothed in the righteousness of Christ. We are not naked. The Bible also tells us that the true child of God needs to have the full armour of God on. This man was not prepared to live. We do not know where he ran to when he left that Garden naked. He would have had to go somewhere and find some clothing. He may have been embarrassed for a time. Maybe he was some poor beggar who did not have a home.
Whatever the case, he was not prepared to face life. This man could easily escape the clutches of the Roman soldiers because he was not properly dressed and when they grabbed the cloth he wrapped around himself, it was easy for him to slip out of that and flee. The soldiers did not bother to chase after him. He got away from them.
The arrest of Jesus Christ was to be just that. It was to be the arrest of Jesus Christ. No one else was to be put on trial at that time. This was the special time when Jesus was called upon to lay down His life for the sheep. God would not allow any interference in this plan. This man was there. He was curious as to what was happening. He did not belong there. He needed to be removed from this event. God saw to it that he was not caught up in this.
Since the ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ, His children need to identify with Him. We are not supposed to be secret Christians. We are to know the truth and walk in the truth. We are indwelt with the Holy Spirit and we have been called to be His workmanship.
In Acts 4 we read that Peter and John had been arrested by the Romans. The chief priests did not like their preaching and teaching the people that Jesus Christ is the risen Saviour. These false teachers did not want the people believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. In Acts 4:13 we read something interesting about Peter and John:

Acts 4:13  Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.

Peter and John could not hide the fact that they were disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. They did not want to hide that then either. They were dressed in the righteousness of Christ and they had the armour of God on. Their message was very important and needed to be proclaimed to all people. It was the chief priests and the Roman soldiers that were naked at that time. They did not know the Lord.
There are many people today who are walking around naked. At this time of year, many people pride themselves in their bodily features. They want to advertise themselves for sale to anyone and everyone. Many of them take offence to the suggestion that they are advertising themselves to others to abuse.
It is important to follow the drawing of God to the Saviour. Jesus Christ is not on trial today. He is seated on the right hand of His Father in Heaven. He is offering salvation to all. Rather than running from Him, it is important to run to Him for salvation. The day is coming when many will stand before the Lord Jesus Christ, naked. They will stand at the great white throne judgment. They will not be dressed in the robe of righteousness. They will be exposed for their wickedness and they will be cast into the lake of fire.
It is not an automatic thing that people go to heaven when they die. Only those who turn to God in repentance and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, are granted eternal life. Those who are given eternal life, are dressed in the robe of righteousness. No one can take that robe away from the saved person. The saved person does not want that robe removed. That robe is not a linen cloth lightly wrapped around them. It is a robe that is firmly fixed to the saved person. It is essential to have that robe on now. You cannot buy that robe in a store. You cannot find a seamstress to make you that robe. That robe is a gift of God.
Jesus Christ went to the cross and shed His blood there in order for you and I to be able to be given that robe of righteousness. Be sure you have that robe on today. There are thousands of people who are wrapped in a linen cloth of heresy. They know a phoney Jesus. They are not interested in knowing the true Jesus. They want their own brand of righteousness. That brand will not endure the testing that all true Christians will face. In the end, they will leave this world naked, without the needed cloak of righteousness. Be sure you have been truly saved and that you did not invent your own linen cloth.
Pastor Bartel