As a trial lawyer I was all about being prepared. I never went to court without knowing what I was going to say, and having a series of plans for what to do and say based on what the judge, or the other side, or a witness might decide to say or do. There were to be no surprises, nothing left to chance, everything anticipated. Never, ever, would I simply assume that the right words would come to me in the moment. Top notch lawyers simply don't do that. So Jesus' advice in today's Gospel that His followers should not worry about what to say but just depend on the Holy Spirit always seemed like crazy talk (Mt 10: 16- 23). Who would do that, especially if your life is on the line? Wouldn't you want to think about and formulate the best defense you can come up with to try to save yourself? But that's not what Jesus says should be done. He is very clear: "do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say. You will be given in that moment what you are to say," Jesus says. At one level you can take this just as an expression of faith-- that we should depend on Jesus. That's fine as far as it goes, and that's how I used to read it. But that reading doesn't give jesus enough credit. As is so often the case, what Jesus is saying has an element of faith in it, of course, but it is also the most wise, most prudent thing to do. Jesus isn't saying that we shoud be stupid and abandon all wisdom, simply relying on Him. jesus is saying that to rely on Him is both prudent, and an exercise of faith. As is the case with all His commands, He is saying that following Him is the right thing to do, and also the smart thing to do. Ok, you might say, I get the faith part, but how can simply doing nothing-- not preparing a defense-- be the smart thing? Shouldn't one worry about putting the best case together? Sure, one should do that, if there is a case to be made. But the reality is that in the situation Jesus is imagining, there simply isn't a case to be made by His followers. Those doing the prosecuting will have the law on their side, and the facts won't be in dispute. Jesus' followers won't be able to deny that they have broken Jewish law and are proclaiming as the Messiah someone whom the Jewish judges have determined was a rebel, or an impostor or both. Sitting around trying to come up with a defense would simply be a waste of time, and at worst would mean Jesus' followers would be trying to shade the truth or deny their basic beliefs. There is an expression that they teach you in law school that goes this way: If you have the facts, argue the facts; if you have the law, argue the law; if you have neither the facts nor the law, stand up and pound on the table. In essence, that's what Jesus is saying. His followers will have neither the facts not the law, so the best they will be able to do is argue the courage of their convictions, displaying their genuine beliefs and asserting that the law and the facts don't matter. Standing up and speaking from the heart, in the passion of the moment, is the best thing they can do. Will it work? Who knows, but it will be the best chance they have. Sure there is an element of faith in doing what Jesus says, in not preparing a detailed defense. But as is so often the case, following that faith isn't against our best interest-- it is exactly the best thing for us to do. One wouldn't expect anything else from a God who loves us.