*The following entry was contributed by The Berean, who does in depth studies of scripture. This entry is wonderful, exhibiting God's glory and plan to save and restore all who will receive His Son, Jesus, the Savior. More of The Berean's blog entries may be found at Mending The Breach.
Reversing the Curse
"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: And he left the linen cloth, and fled from them naked." (Mark 14:51–52)
Wait—what? How could we have missed this detail in the middle of Jesus’ arrest?
This mysterious “young man” appears only briefly in the narrative, yet the Gospel writer makes a point to describe him—naked, wrapped in linen, and fleeing into the night. Most of us rush past these verses to focus on Jesus’ trial, crucifixion, and resurrection. But what if this detail isn’t random? What if this young man’s presence carries a deeper message?
Who was this unnamed figure? Why was he there that night? And what does his linen garment mean?
The Greek word used here for “young man” is neaniskos (G3495, νεανίσκος)—a term rich with meaning. By tracing this word chronologically through the Gospels and the New Testament, we’ll uncover a powerful prophetic thread woven into Scripture.
I believe this “young man” isn’t just a historical footnote—he is a signpost pointing us toward a mystery of God: the reversal of the curse, the restoration of what was lost in Eden, and the transformation of humanity through Jesus Christ.
⏰ Wake Up!
The first appearance of the young man (neaniskos, G3495) is in Luke’s Gospel (Luke 7:11–15). The day after healing the Centurion’s servant, Jesus entered the gates of the city of Nain—a village in Galilee—and saw a widow weeping as her son’s dead body was being carried out in a funeral procession.
"And he came and touched the bier (open coffin): and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man (G3495), I say unto thee, Arise. And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother." (Luke 7:14–15)
Jesus took compassion on the woman, touched the open coffin, and commanded the young man, “Arise.” The young man awoke, arose, and began to speak.
This physical resurrection is more than a miracle—it’s a prophetic signpost. The young man (neaniskos) becomes a symbol of spiritual awakening, a call to rise from death into life. The grieving widow embodies the broken and bereft, and through her, we glimpse the heart of God: moved by compassion, restoring what was lost.
In this moment, we see the promise of resurrection—not only of bodies, but of hope, identity, and calling. The Church, like the young man, is summoned to awaken. The Spirit speaks: “Arise.”
🔥 Prophetic Takeaway
The resurrection of the widow’s son is more than a display of Jesus’ compassion—it’s a prophetic call to the Church. Like the young man in Nain, we are being summoned out of spiritual slumber and death into new life. The voice of Jesus still speaks: “Arise.” This miracle foreshadows the awakening of God’s people in every generation, a reminder that no one is beyond His reach. Even when hope is buried, Christ interrupts the funeral procession and restores life.
✝️ Commandments, Charity, and Obedience
The neaniskos (G3495, νεανίσκος) reappears in the Gospels (Matthew 19:16–30; Mark 10:17–31; Luke 18:18–30) as the rich young ruler seeking eternal life.
He approaches Jesus with a sincere question:
"What good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?" (Matthew 19:16)
Jesus responds by listing several of the Ten Commandments:
"The young man (neaniskos, G3495) saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?" (Matthew 19:20)
This man’s question reveals a deeper hunger. Though he has kept God’s commands, he senses something missing.
His condition mirrors that of the church of Laodicea:
"Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire…" (Revelation 3:17–18)
The young ruler is materially wealthy but spiritually impoverished. Jesus offers him true riches, refined by surrender and obedience:
"Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me." (Mark 10:21)
Jesus calls him to sell his possessions, give to the poor, and follow Him. Yet the man’s response is sorrowful—he is grieved because of his great wealth and status.
This moment reveals the cost of discipleship. The invitation to “take up the cross” foreshadows Jesus’ crucifixion and shows that following Him requires surrendering comfort, security, and self-determination. It is a call to die daily and walk wherever He leads, without looking back.
Jesus often repeated this command:
"…take up his cross, and follow me." (Matthew 10:38; 16:24; 19:21; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23)
When the rich man turned away, Jesus said:
"...How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God." (Luke 18:24–25)
The disciples, shocked, asked, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus answered:
"…With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible." (Mark 10:27)
This encounter leaves the young ruler at a crossroads, standing face-to-face with the cost of eternal life. Would he lay down his wealth and take up the cross?
🔥 Prophetic Takeaway
The rich young man represents those bound by earthly treasure and self-reliance, unable to see their spiritual poverty. His sorrow shows how deeply the curse of sin clings to our identity, possessions, and pride. But Jesus’ invitation to “take up the cross” is not a demand of loss—it is the gateway to freedom. The reversal of the curse begins when we let go of what we cannot keep, so that we may receive what cannot be taken away: eternal life in Christ.
🧹Shame: A Body is Prepared
Back in Mark 14:51–52, we meet another mysterious neaniskos (young man) — the one who flees naked, leaving behind his linen cloth.
"And there followed him a certain young man (G3495), having a linen cloth (G4616) cast about his naked body; and the young men laid hold on him: And he left the linen cloth (G4616), and fled from them naked." (Mark 14:51–52)
This brief moment, tucked between Jesus’ arrest and His trial, is often overlooked, but its imagery is striking. The linen cloth (sindon, G4616)— costly and often used for burial—is torn away, leaving the young man exposed and running into the night. It is a vivid picture of shame.
This scene echoes Genesis 3:7, when Adam and Eve, having sinned, realized they were naked and hid from God. Their shame led them to cover themselves with fig leaves, but God Himself clothed them with garments of skin (Genesis 3:21), foreshadowing the sacrifice required to truly cover sin.
Here in Gethsemane, a garden, we see a young man fleeing unclothed—a prophetic image of humanity’s spiritual poverty.
The first sindon is discarded in fear, exposing nakedness and shame. The second sindon is offered in faith, wrapping the prepared body of Jesus in hope.
Joseph of Arimathaea, a secret disciple who “also waited (G4327) for the kingdom of God” (Mark 15:43; Luke 23:51), boldly requested Jesus’ body from Pilate. With Nicodemus, he prepared the Lord’s body with spices and aloes, wrapping Him in a clean linen sindon and laying Him in a new tomb (belonging to Joseph of Arimathaea) hewn out of rock (Matthew 27:59–60; Mark 15:46; Luke 23:53).
John’s Gospel adds a crucial detail: this tomb was in a garden, “wherein was never man yet laid” (John 19:41). This is no casual note—it echoes Eden, where God “put the man whom he had formed.” The parallel is profound: a new Adam is laid in a new garden, preparing the way for a restored creation.
Even more astonishing is the sindon itself, preserved through history as the Shroud of Turin. The cloth bears the faint image of a scourged and crucified man, pierced in the hands, feet, and side—perfectly matching the Gospels’ description of Jesus’ passion. Every wound imprinted on the Shroud is a visual testimony of humanity’s sin laid upon Him:
“Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin.” (Romans 6:6–7)
Paul’s words echo through this image. The Shroud doesn’t just document suffering; it testifies to sin carried and conquered. It’s as if the linen absorbed the imprint of humanity’s fall—only to be left behind in the tomb when Jesus rose in glory.
Paul continues:
“Purge out therefore the old leaven (sin of the flesh), that ye may be a new (G3501) lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us.” (1 Corinthians 5:7)
The “old leaven” remains etched in the cloth, not because it was His, but because He bore ours. The sindon speaks of a divine exchange: our sin for His righteousness.
Romans 6:5 seals the vision:
“For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection.” (Romans 6:5)
The linen once associated with burial becomes a sign of resurrection. The sinful flesh is left behind; the prepared body anticipates glory. The nakedness of the fleeing young man and the burial cloth of Jesus form a single prophetic picture: from exposure to covering, fear to faith, death to planted hope, the image of sin replaced with the promise of resurrection.
Only Christ can clothe us. What we abandoned in shame, He has transformed into garments of righteousness. The garden that once testified to exile now bears witness to redemption.
🔥 Prophetic Takeaway
The fleeing young man and the burial sindon reveal a prophetic reversal of humanity’s shame. What Adam lost in Eden, Christ reclaimed in a garden tomb. The linen cloth, once a symbol of death, now testifies to resurrection life. Our nakedness and fear are exchanged for garments of righteousness, woven in His sacrifice. The Shroud itself becomes a silent witness, declaring that the old man is crucified, the leaven purged, and sin left behind in the grave. The tomb is not a place of defeat—it is the threshold where shame is stripped away, and glory begins.
✨Regeneration: Exchanging Rags for Robes
After three days, the women who followed Jesus came to the tomb to anoint Jesus’s body with spices. In three of the four Gospel accounts (Matthew, Luke, and John), they encounter angels or the pre-ascended Jesus Himself. However, in Mark’s Gospel, they meet someone different—not described as “lightning,” “white as snow,” or “shining,” but simply as a young man (neaniskos, (G3495).
“And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man (G3495) sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment (G4749); and they were affrighted. And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him.” (Mark 16:5-6)
This young man is clothed in a long robe called a stolē (G4749, στολή)—a long, flowing garment that extends to the feet and, according to Thayer’s Lexicon, was worn by kings, priests, and persons of rank.
This brings to mind Isaiah’s vision of the enthroned Lord:
“...I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train (H7757) filled the temple.” (Isaiah 6:1)
The Hebrew word for “train” is shûwl (H7757, שׁוּל) and refers to the hem or flowing skirt of a robe (often priestly), associated with divine authority and presence. Stolē (G4749) carries that imagery into the New Testament, signifying garments of honor, priesthood, and resurrection. This links the heavenly throne room to the empty tomb—showing that garments of glory are not reserved for angels alone; they are extended to the redeemed.
The stolē appears again in Jesus’ Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11–32). After squandering his inheritance, the son returns home destitute and repentant, and the father restores him with symbols of honor:
"But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe (stolē, G4749), and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet." (Luke 15:22)
The robe is not merely a covering—it declares restored identity, dignity, and belonging. Through Jesus, this parable is fulfilled:
"For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous… Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound… So might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 5:19–21)
"For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." (1 Corinthians 15:21–22)
By grace, through Jesus, the door has been opened. The path is revealed—for Adam, the prodigal son, and all prodigal sons and daughters—to receive a robe and be reconciled to the Father.
In Revelation, stolē (G4749) robes are given to martyrs and multitudes in heaven who love Jesus and keep His commandments (Revelation 6:11; 7:9, 13–14):
"And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes (stolē, G4749)? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes (stolē, G4749), and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." (Revelation 7:13–14)
The young man in Mark 16 is not dazzling like an angel but clothed in priestly dignity. He sits on the right side—a position of affirmation—and announces the resurrection of Jesus. The one once pictured naked and fearful now appears clothed in white, proclaiming victory over death.
It is as if the young man has undergone his own resurrection journey—from shame to glory, from rags to robes. He becomes a living symbol of regeneration—an embodied witness to the power of grace.
This imagery points us to Christ’s mission: to clothe us in righteousness (Isaiah 61:10) and restore what was lost in Eden. The linen cloth abandoned in fear represents our futile attempts to cover ourselves; only Jesus provides a true covering.
🔥 Prophetic Takeaway
In Christ, shame is exchanged for glory and rags for robes. The garments of the throne room meet us at the empty tomb. The fleeing young man and the burial sindon reveal a prophetic reversal of humanity’s shame. What Adam lost in Eden, Christ reclaimed in a garden tomb. The linen cloth, once a symbol of death, now testifies to resurrection life. Our nakedness and fear are exchanged for garments of righteousness, woven in His sacrifice. The Shroud of Turin itself becomes a silent witness, declaring that the old man is crucified, the leaven purged, and sin left behind in the grave. The tomb is not a place of defeat—it is the threshold where shame is stripped away and glory begins.
🌿 The New Man, Restoration, Back to the Garden
In Revelation 22, those who have washed their stolē robes in the blood of Jesus are granted access to the Tree of Life and the New Jerusalem.
"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city." (Revelation 22:13–14)
Access to the Tree of Life was removed when God sent Adam and Eve out of the garden of Eden (Genesis 3:22–24). Before their banishment, they were clothed with “coats of skins” (Genesis 3:21).
Just as Adam had to put something on to cover his nakedness, Jesus had to take something off to return to the Father—the curse of sin, preserved in the Shroud of Turin.
Humanity’s original image—created in the likeness of God (Genesis 1:27)—has been restored through Jesus Christ. The image that Adam marred, Jesus mended and renewed:
"Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new (G3501) man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him." (Colossians 3:9–10)
This regeneration and restoration reaches a climactic moment in Acts 2:17–18, when Peter declares the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy (Joel 2:28–29):
"And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men (G3495) shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy." (Acts 2:17–18)
The root word for neaniskos (G3495, “young man”) is neos (G3501, νέος)—meaning new, fresh, recently born, born again, or regenerate. Here, the neaniskos is not merely young in age but reborn in Spirit—neos, the new man. Instead of shame, he is clothed in vision. This marks the restoration of sight and voice—what was lost in Eden is now poured out at Pentecost. The young man sees what Adam could no longer see and speaks what was once silenced.
He carries a Spirit-empowered identity, no longer defined by the old man’s exile but by the indwelling presence of God. And he steps into prophetic participation, joining sons, daughters, and elders in the Spirit’s multi-generational outpouring.
The neaniskos of Acts 2 is the new man of Colossians 3, the unleavened lump of 1 Corinthians 5, and the restored image-bearer of Revelation 22. He is no longer fleeing naked in the garden—he is entering through the gates, clothed in vision, washed in blood, and bearing fruit from the Tree of Life.
🔥 Prophetic Takeaway
What was lost at Eden—sight, voice, and access—is restored in Christ. The neaniskos becomes the neos: shame is traded for vision, exile for entrance, silence for prophecy. The curse is reversed as the new man steps through the gates, clothed in Christ and nourished by the Tree of Life.
🚪 Threshold Keepers: The Silent Cherubim of Holiness
Before the Word overcomes the curse, before resurrection breaks forth in power, there is a burial—and a guarding.
In Acts 5:10, the neaniskoi (plural of neaniskos, G3495)—young men—enter not to speak, but to act. They do not prophesy; they do not raise the dead. Instead, they carry out the consequence of deception and bury the body of Sapphira.
“Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out. Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men (G3495) came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband.” (Acts 5:9-10)
God said to Cain:
“If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.” (Genesis 4:7)
These neaniskoi are not merely helpers—they are threshold keepers, standing at the boundary between holiness and defilement. Their feet are at the door, the very place where sin crouches, waiting for its next victim. Their silent obedience echoes the cherubim stationed at Eden’s gate (Genesis 3:24), guarding the way to the Tree of Life with the Flaming Sword and watchful presence:
“...and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.”
In both the Tabernacle and the Temple, cherubim served as guardians of God’s holy presence in the Holy of Holies. God commanded Moses to fashion two golden cherubim for the Ark of the Covenant, their wings overshadowing the Mercy Seat (Exodus 25:18-22). In Solomon’s Temple, massive cherubim stood wall-to-wall, marking the innermost sanctuary where heaven and earth met (1 Kings 6:23-28). These weren’t mere ornaments; they were heavenly gatekeepers, marking the boundary between holy and profane. Only the high priest could pass, and only on Yom Kippur.
In Acts 5:10, the neaniskoi mirror this role. They enter silently, remove defilement, and maintain the sanctity of the Spirit-filled community. The Church is becoming a living temple, and these young men stand as its human cherubim—guardians of holiness at the threshold.
The neaniskoi do not just bury the dead; they protect the holy. Like the cherubim of Eden, the Tabernacle, and the Temple, they keep the way of the Tree of Life and guard the door of God’s dwelling.
🔥 Prophetic Takeaway
The Spirit is raising up “threshold keepers”—those who discern holiness, guard the gates of God’s presence, and quietly remove what defiles. Holiness is not passive; it is fiercely protected. The neaniskoi show us that the fear of the Lord is not just reverence—it is action. God’s Church is called to be a holy habitation, a living temple where cherubim-like guardians stand watch, ready to guard the way to the Tree of Life.
📖 We Have Overcome the Curse by the Word
"I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake. I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men (neaniskoi, G3495), because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father. I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men (neaniskoi, G3495), because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one (G4190)." (1 John 2:12–14)
Here we see the final appearance of the neaniskos (G3495) in Scripture. This passage reveals that through the strength of the Word of God—the Flaming Sword (Genesis 3:24) that abides in us—we, through Jesus, have overcome the wicked one.
Who Is the Wicked One?
The Greek word used here is ponērós (G4190, πονηρός), meaning full of labors, hardships, toils, perils, evil, malice—anything that degenerates from original virtue. It also refers to the devil, the evil one, and the appearance of evil. A related word, pónos (G4192, πόνος), means toil, anguish, trouble, and pain:
"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain (pónos, G4192): for the former things are passed away." (Revelation 21:4)
The root of both words, pénēs (G3993, πένης), means poor, starving, or one who toils daily for survival.
All three definitions connect directly to Genesis 3:14-19, when God pronounced the curse of toil, pain, and exile after Adam and Eve’s disobedience.
But here, in 1 John 2, we see a reversal: the Word of God abiding in us breaks the power of that curse. Through Christ, the toil and sorrow of Eden’s exile are overcome. Victory is not only promised—it is accomplished.
🔥 Prophetic Takeaway
The final mention of the neaniskos marks a prophetic shift: the young man who was once dead, hidden, or guarding holiness now stands in victory. The Word of God—the Sword of the Spirit—has crushed the serpent’s curse. Those in Christ are no longer bound by pain, toil, or spiritual poverty. The Spirit is raising up a generation of “overcomers” who live not under the shadow of Eden’s exile but under the light of the New Jerusalem, where sorrow and pain are no more. The Church’s identity is no longer defined by the curse but by resurrection power.
💡Reversing the Curse: The Journey of the New Man
By tracing every appearance of the neaniskos (G3495)—the “young man”—through Scripture, we uncover a hidden prophetic thread. He is more than a passing figure; he is a witness to Jesus’ suffering and triumph, a signpost marking the transition from shame to glory, and a symbol of resurrection life.
From the first call to Wake Up! to the final declaration that We Have Overcome the Curse by the Word, this journey reveals the full reversal of Eden’s exile. The curse—shame, toil, death, and separation—was not left unanswered. It was met by a Messiah who obeyed, who loved, who prepared His body, and who exchanged our rags for robes. Through Him, the commandments became not a burden but a pathway to charity, obedience, and restoration.
The sinful flesh was not ignored—it was purged. The old leaven was cast out, and a new lump was formed, Spirit-filled and unleavened. The garments of shame were stripped away, and the stolē robes of righteousness were washed in blood. The New Man emerged—not just forgiven, but renewed in the image of the Creator. He was not left wandering outside the garden; he was invited back in.
At every threshold, the neaniskos stood: the young man raised at Nain, the one clothed in white at the tomb, the silent gatekeepers in Acts 5, the vision-bearers at Pentecost, and the overcomers of 1 John. None of these appearances were random. They were prophetic signs—guarding the holy, announcing resurrection, receiving the Spirit, and overcoming the wicked one. Like cherubim stationed at Eden’s gate and overshadowing the mercy seat, they marked the boundaries of holiness and the passage into glory.
The curse has been reversed—not by human effort but by divine mercy. The garden is not lost. The Tree of Life is no longer sealed off. The gates of the city stand open, and the Word of God abides in us. We are no longer the old man. We are the New. And we are walking back into the garden—clothed, awakened, empowered, and restored.
🔥 Prophetic Call
This study is more than theology; it is an invitation. The Spirit is calling a generation of neaniskoi—young and old in the flesh, but new in the Spirit—to step into holiness, to guard the sacred, to carry resurrection power, and to live as overcomers. The garden is open. The sword now cuts only to heal. The Lamb’s blood has made a way. Walk through the gates.
To all who Overcome: The LORD bless you, and keep you: The LORD make HIS face shine upon you, and be gracious to you: The LORD lift up HIS countenance upon you, and give you peace. Amen and Amen.
