NOTES for Mar 13:9-13
Calling His disciples not to think about what they will have to say when testimony before persecutors is required of them, Jesus at the same time reminds them that only the one who remains faithful to the end amid universal madness will be saved. One would think that this is exactly where everything should be carefully weighed and considered before saying anything: before such an audience, testimony must be especially vivid, and at the same time especially measured, so that everything said would sound flawless both in content and, preferably, in form. Jesus, on the contrary, calls them not to think anything through in advance. Of course, this call can be explained by the fact that it is practically impossible to think through all possible situations in advance and work out in advance some models of behavior for one case or another: there are usually too many situations, especially in troubled times, for such planning to become possible. But the point is probably also something else. Who, and when, can afford not to prepare for a responsible speech? Probably only the one who is sure that someone else will prepare his speech for him, and someone who can be trusted unconditionally. And the Savior, as we can see, offers His disciples exactly that option. But for this, their whole life must be part of the Kingdom that He brought into the world and in which one can live one life with Him. Then one can pass through all the twists and turns of a troubled time while remaining a faithful witness of the Kingdom whose life one lives.