Life's Most Embarrassing Moments

Life's Most Embarrassing Moments
Words of Faith 4-8-24
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2024
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Mark 14
[51] A young man, wearing nothing but a linen garment, was following Jesus. When they seized him, [52] he fled naked, leaving his garment behind.

This is one of those, well, strange Scriptures. We know that all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness (2 Tim. 3:15‑-16). Still, we may not be immediately sure exactly how or why. Why was this detail important? Why was this significant to report? Why is this event here when it reads a little like the theater of the absurd?
Many scholars suggest that the young man described was probably Mark himself. Who else would recall such a story? We know that Mark's mother lived in Jerusalem (Acts 12:12). Later, Mark struggled with commitment and ran away from the mission field (Acts 15:37-38). Some scholars have even suggested that the Upper Room may have been above Mark's home. He may have been awakened by the inquiry of soldiers with Judas and hurriedly set out in his night clothing to warn Jesus. If this is so, Mark was really rather brave. Mark would not have named himself because it was not customary to do so, just as John does not name himself in his Gospel. The mention of this event would have been an unmistakable "signature" to the ancient reader.
The point here was likely for Mark to say clearly: "I was there." Mark wanted us to know that he was an eyewitness to these events and was willing to risk embarrassment to make the point. When asked, the disciples would have recalled this odd quirk in the story of that night. Mark's humility before the Lord is reflected in his not trying to cover up this naked moment.

The truth is that we all have moments in our walk with God that look pretty foolish. We may get our feet caught in our mouths or run away into the darkness because of fear, but once we are in His grace, none of that is a point of shame. Mark was willing to surrender his "most embarrassing moment" to the Lord and allow it to be a signature that would testify to the integrity of his entire report. Nothing was more important than certifying the testimony of the truth of the Gospel, not pride, vanity, or embarrassment. It is one thing to surrender our great moments for God to use; it is quite another to surrender our embarrassing ones.
Is there something you need to surrender to the Lord? It may be the truth about a past failure. It could be a blunder or a wrong choice. Nothing is quite as reassuring as a hand on the shoulder and the quiet admission that someone else has gone through a similar time of struggle or failure. God uses such moments powerfully.
Sometimes, the things we fail to surrender are barriers to our walk with Him. When we try to appear "perfect" as Christians, we miss the meaning of God's grace entirely. When we pretend that we have never had a misstep, we deny the work of Christ. Sometimes, our mistakes and how God got us through can be quite a powerful source of healing to others. This is not to say that we need to testify to a sordid past or that we should dredge up "confessions" that would serve to wound other people. Still, sometimes it is essential for those we encounter to know that we are not perfect, even though we serve the Perfecter of faith.

Lord, redeem the best moments of my life and use them for You. And should you desire, use the very worst moments as well. I surrender all. In Jesus' name, clothed by His grace, Amen.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2024
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2024 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.