Let's Get Naked

Mark 14:51 a young man wearing nothing but a linen garment was following Jesus. When they seized him, he fled naked leaving his garment behind.
This is one of those verses that you read and think, when did they put that in the Bible? I don’t remember reading this before and why is it in Mark but not Matthew, Luke or John. It doesn’t seem to go with the rest of the story. Why did God put that verse in the Bible? I thought about it for a few days and this is what I came up with. I’m not saying its right but hear me out.
The only way to leave after an encounter with Jesus is naked. What do I mean? Glad you asked.
When I was on the founding board of Life’s Choices a Crisis Pregnancy Center with four other amazing women we met weekly and prayed together for a whole year before the doors opened. One night while we were praying the Lord told me we had to get naked before Him. We had to be totally open and honest with one another so there would be unity. We could have no hidden agenda or “personal opinion.” The only way God was going to lead us was if we were in agreement as one. Getting five independent strong willed women to be in agreement was not always easy, but if we weren’t we did not move ahead, we waited.
I recently watched a video on a friend’s Face Book page and the gist of it was the man was going to let God chisel away the things in his life that didn’t glorify God but first he had to admit what those things were. He had to get naked.
In order for us to allow God to heal us or grow us for that matter we have to reveal everything in our heart to Him and sometimes to others. I think that’s one of Satan’s greatest tools, telling people they can’t possibly go to God because “their” sin is unforgivable.
Adam and Eve got to experience this first hand. Genesis 2:25 The man and his wife were both naked and they felt no shame.
They started out great, they were naked in front of each other, no lies no deceit no hidden agendas they were completely honest to each other and to God. But they ate the forbidden fruit, they were disobedient to God and watch what happens.
Genesis 3:8-13 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?"
10 He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid."
11 And he said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?"
12 The man said, "The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it."
13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?"
The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."
What were the effects of their sin? First off they feel naked.
Genesis 3:7b they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
They knew they messed up and they were having a feeling they never experienced before, guilt. What a powerful emotion, so strong it made them hide from God. God the one they walked with in the garden every day. They KNEW Him personally and knew of His provision first hand. They got to experience God’s love daily. Can you even imagine what that must have been like?
The door was opened for Satan and he didn’t waste any time. The next thing that happens is the blame game. Adam blames God for “this woman you gave me” and Eve blames satan.
If we don’t take ownership of our faults we can’t fix them and one of satan’s most powerful tools is guilt.
They could no longer stand naked before God so they hid behind satan.
Not much has changed, we still don’t want to get naked before God and we still play the blame game. The problem is if we’re not giving our sin to Jesus to help us we’re letting satan use it to harm us.
We all think ours is the worst scenario but God has no sin gauge, if it’s keeping you hiding and wearing fig leaves to cover it up then it’s got to go. I know in my life my fig leaf is humor. If you’re getting too close to something I’m not allowing God to work on I will start making jokes to draw attention away from the subject. Some people get mean; some people exercise or make themselves vomit. Some people become workaholics or they cut themselves or do drugs. These are all things Satan uses to keep us hidden. As if our fig leaf was really hiding our sin from God.
I found this verse so odd at first and obviously I’m using the Gena translation but here’s this guy wearing a linen garment, he’s following Jesus, the enemy shows up and tries to seize him and he takes off running NAKED. Chances are he ran into someone, he may have been the first recorded streaker.
My point is he was a follower of Jesus and rather than get caught by the enemy he was willing to run away naked and he didn’t care who saw him.
I have to give you a warning now. Sometimes if satan suspects you’re getting ready to repent before God and he’s going lose his guilt hold he may use well meaning Christians to help you feel guilty. Remember the woman in the bible who was caught in adultery? Those holy people dragged her to Jesus because they knew according to the law she should be stoned. Can’t you just see them standing around her in a circle with their self righteous attitude glaring at her and saying “that’s right HO we caught you and now Jesus is going to take you out” The story tells us that Jesus bent down, they must have thought he was bending down to pick up a good size rock. But as always Jesus did something unexpected. He started writing in the sand with his finger. I wonder what he was writing. Maybe He started listing all the “Holy people’s” sins.
The Bible just says, then he stood up and said whoever is without sin throw the first stone. One by one they walked away. Maybe there are some Holy people in your life that need to start walking away.
Jesus sees all of us good and bad but you can’t experience God’s forgiveness if you don’t get naked before your God and King and let him clothe you in His righteousness. Don’t let the enemy convince you that your sin is unforgivable. There are 10 commandments and I have broken them all. I don’t say that with pride I say it with a grateful heart. If the enemy is coming after you, take off running to Jesus and don’t be surprised if when you get there He says “let’s get naked.”

If you are carrying around a sin take this time to confess it before God and ask His forgiveness.
Romans 8:6 So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.

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