Suddenly, while he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, appeared, and with him was a crowd armed with swords & cudgels, sent by the chief priests, lawyers and elders. Now the traitor had agreed with them upon a signal: "The one I kiss is your man; seize him and get him safely away." When he reached the spot, he stepped forward at once and said to Jesus, "Rabbi," and kissed him. Then they seized him and held him fast.
One of the party drew his sword, and struck at the High Priest's servant, cutting off his ear.
Then Jesus spoke: "Do you take me for a bandit, that you have come out with swords and cudgels to arrest me? Day after day I was within your reach as I taught in the Temple, and you did not lay hands upon me. But let the scriptures be fulfilled."
Then the disciples all deserted him and ran away. Among those following was a young man with nothing on but a linen cloth. They tried to seize him, but he slipped out of the linen cloth and ran away naked.
1 comment:
Gospel of Thomas:
(21) Mary said to Jesus, "Whom are your disciples like?"
He said, "They are like children who have settled in a field which is not theirs. When the owners of the field come, they will say, 'Let us have back our field.' They (will) undress in their presence in order to let them have back their field and to give it back to them...."
http://www.gnosis.org/naghamm/gthlamb.html
-------------------
Matt. 5:38 "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' 39 But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; 40 and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well;
-------------
"In the case of a lawsuit adjudicated in a local Torah court or, perhaps, in a traditional court in a market town, the peasant losing the case is to surrender not only the tunic or garment worn next to the skit but the outer garment as well. (Luke reverses the order, suggesting that the person has lost clothing in a robbery.) The situation echos the Torah's concern for the way neighbors treat each other when making loans (Ex 22.25-27, Deuteronomy 24.10-17) The point is that neighbors should not exploit the occasion to make a loan by extracting necessities from those in need. The dramatic gesture of surrendering both inner tunic and outer cloak woul leave the villager naked, and his nakedness would shame his creditor, who has violated the Torah...
(William Herzog, _Jesus, Justice & the Reign of God_ pg 214)
-----------
Various symbolic echoes of a certain recommended attitude toward life & property (?)--Here, in a situation in which it is life at stake, but any vain attempt to cling to life is being relinquished?
Post a Comment