When they take you before synagogues and foreign authorities, do not worry about how or what you are to say for the Holy Spirit will teach you what to say. In the Gospel according to Mark, part of the passage that we read in today’s Gospel appears under the section subtitled “eschatological discourse.” As the subtitle indicates, it is part of Jesus’ conversation with his disciples concerning the end time, specifically the things that will be taking place then.
Jesus disciples, as were the immediate recipients of the Gospels, were not hearing about the end time for the first time. Eschatology was part of the literature of their community. However, what must have hit them hard might have been the knowledge that they will be directly at the receiving end of the persecutions that will characterize the end time. Because of the frightful nature of these persecutions, there was a likelihood that the disciples and the members of the early Church would be led to denounce Christ. The fear that the persecutions would instill in the Christian communities coupled with the lack of what to say in one’s defense was sure to lead to mass desertions by the disciples. Knowing the distress that this will cause, Jesus moves to assure his disciples that they need not worry about their defense when the time comes, for someone else will be fighting on their behalf: the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit comes to the aid of the followers of Christ for two reasons. Firstly, as disciples of Christ, the disciples are not their own (they do not belong to themselves). They belong to Christ (cf. Matthew 10:30: every hair on your head has been counted). Secondly, their fight will take place at the doorstep of foreigners and individuals who do not understand their lifestyle, that is, non-believers. As such, their defense will become their opportunity to proclaim the Christ (acknowledging the Son of Man before others). Any proclamation of the Christ takes place under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, for when one proclaims the Christ, it is not him/her who does the proclamation but the Holy Spirit.