28th Week in Ord. Time, Saturday – 17th October 2020 — Gospel: Lk 12,8-12
Witness Bravely and Proclaim Forcefully
Genuine disciples bear witness to Jesus before other people at the time of judgment and persecution. When they are brought before the Jewish and Roman authorities, the disciples should trust in God and not worry about how they will defend themselves. Primarily, the disciples of the Lord should be more committed to proclaiming the gospel than being preoccupied about defending themselves. At that moment, the Holy Spirit will give them the words to say, so that they can bear witness to Jesus bravely; and it gives the power to proclaim the gospel clearly and forcefully. In the Acts of the Apostles, Luke presents examples of trust and testimony of Peter, John, Stephen and Paul. They publicly and boldly proclaimed Jesus as Christ, as Israel’s messiah, especially when they were arrested by the Jewish and Roman authorities. Peter and John, when arrested, courageously preached the gospel as their defense (Acts 4). Stephen, when arrested and charged before the crowd, powerfully preached the gospel as his defense (Acts 6 & 7). So, too, with Paul (cf. Acts 22). When the Holy Spirit provided and empowered men with words, their defense was awesome, even if rejected. Therefore we must faithfully proclaim the gospel, leaving the defense to our advocate, the Holy Spirit.
