January 24, 2026

"But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." 1Peter3,15 NIV

"When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Matthew16,13-16

"Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone." Colossians4,6 NIV

In the seminary there was an American professor who had been trained in Europe and taught there too. They have the custom of oral exams instead of written exams. And at first it was sort of intimidating to not have the familiarity of written questions- and your little blue exam folder.

But in time I got to like the oral exams better- not just because my penmanship is not the best, but in a conversation you can often get right to the point of the question and the issues, in a minute or two, if you want to. And then also get right to an elaboration or a finer point in your answer, if you want to and can, because words come very quickly and easily when we are enthused about the subject matter. So these oral exams seemed easier for both the exam taker and the exam hearer.

Don't get me wrong I love to write too, but showing and telling what we know and have learned, as quickly as possible nowadays in our social media style and shorter attention span, seems more natural and immediate. And more like how we get ahead and show ourselves approved in real life- in daily life or at work. We talk- we get to the point- we say what we know and don't know as soon as possible- and move on to answering the next question and slowly and surely we learn and know more, and thereby sooner or later by God's grace, we might know a thing or two about God and other subjects too.

For example, what would you like to do spend an hour writing a long email to someone- or spend like two minutes in a conversation where both parties are actually engaged- and clear up the very reason for the hour long email in the first place.

My mom used to often quiz me when I got home from school as a kid. She would ask "what did you do today to make the world a better place?" I took her seriously, I was and still am sort of literal minded, but she was pretty much kidding, but I am sure I tried my best to answer.

But think about it in so many interactions with people in life- we ourselves are either giving them a sort of oral exam- or they are giving us one- whether we like it or not. We have have all heard these of variations of these: "what do you know?"  "What are you doing today?" "What do you have to say for yourself?"

You meet someone new and it's also bit of an oral exam "What do you do?" "Tell me about yourself." "Where are you from?" "Are you married?" "Do you have kids?" "Where do you live?" All these exam questions trying to find our what we are really like?

Oh, wouldn't it be great if some interested non believer would ask us Christians an oral exam question about faith: Like "is your life better since you became a Christian?" "Well it sure is better- 100%, most definetely, night and day better- let me tell you. I have never received love and mercy and forgiveness and purpose from anyone like the love and mercy, forgiveness and purpose I have received from Jesus. And, wait there's more, once in awhile even some of us so called "Christians" who follow him also give a good example of these same faith virtues. And thank God Jesus has given me several beloved Christian friends, brothers and sisters, who have also shown His love and compassion and example of faith. And, furthermore I also take great comfort in the fact that billions of souls also know the walk of salvation, out of darkness, into the light of the world who is Jesus. And we are all going to live forever, and enjoy eternal life with Him, and each other, just as his WORD and Spiirt tell us."    

Who is Asking The Exam Questions: Jesus Or His Disciples
Sometimes Jesus asked the oral exam questions to his disciples and sometimes his disciples asked him the exam questions.

When Andrew and John, in the company of John the Baptist, as followers of John, saw Jesus walk by, the Baptist immediatly says about Jesus "See! The Lamb of God." John1,36 NIV

So Andrew and John hearing this intial perfect gospel answer of who Jesus was by John The Baptist (a question that the prophet John The Baptist apparently asked God and himself in prayer), they start to follow Jesus instead of John.

John1,38: "Jesus turned around and saw them following" He said to them, "What are you looking for?"

In other words, Jesus immediatly gave them an oral exam! And like so many people when asked a difficult question, instead of answering it, or being able to answer it, they give the person asking an oral exam in return "Teacher, where are you staying?" 

John's disciples want more information, want more questions answered- they want to know how and where and in what conditions this Jesus lives, ie what he is realy like, before they really commit.

And Jesus doesn't claim some high and mighty stature as the only one who can give oral exams. Instead He gives them the perfect answer to their valid question- seasoned with a perfect dash of salt- that shows his flexibility and authority and that they are on the right track following him, and also asking questions: "Come and see."

So they did. "They followed him and saw where [and how] he lived. They stayed with him that day." John1,39

So Andrew, having got his answers to his intial exam questions, "the first thing he did was to find his brother Simon. He said to him, "We have found the messiah (that is the Christ)." John1,41

Matthew16,13-16 depicts a time when Jesus is giving his whole class of Apostles-disciples an oral exam asking them "Who do you [plural] say the son of man is?"

They were asked this as a group- in a time of trial and opposition- later in the three year public ministry of Jesus in John1- like at half-time when your team realizes it might not win the way they had planned- the leader of the group has got to lead, speak first- so the group can buy in and take courage.

Andrew and John were the first to follow Jesus and Andrew was the first to testify to Peter- "we have found the messiah." John1,41   

But as Jesus' ministry grew and faced intensifying opposition, "come and see" [that I am the Christ] needed to be changed to the more personally challenging  and potentially costly exam question "who do you all say that I am?"

Peter spoke up, and rightly answered Jesus to the whole class: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Matthew16,13-16 

Practicum Pop Quiz: A Hurting Stranger Wants To Tell A Christian His or Her Present Crisis
We all have been in this situation- we are supposedly or allegedly the "Christian" close at hand and there's a hurting person and they want to tell us what is going on in their life right now. And the person is led to us. Now this encounter is not part of our daily schedule-there's no appointment, we are happily doing something else, but sometimes the Lord Himself gives us an oral exam: what will we say to this stranger? Will our words let the Holy Spirit flow? Or, will cut the person off short?

And it's not like we Christians are allowed to only minister when we are in the mood. So what I have learned in this situation regardless of whatever else is going on in my little world or the in the world in general is to say somewhere in the beginning of the strory of the crisis at hand something like "My heart goes out to you."

And we could also say- if we want to "ace" this oral exam- (and also to remember Colossians4,6 that our "conversation is to be full of grace and seasoned with salt, so that [we] may know how to answer everyone.")  something like "Jesus' heart has always been open to me, so I am sure- since he doesn't play favorites- that his heart is open to you right now. So let's have some faith and hope in him today, and see where HE leads."

This bypasses and obliterates any worldly suspicions, any temptaion to give a quick and snappy unkind judgements, or one of those patronizing religious condenscending religious noises, complete with a duly noted accent, that closes off ministry. Instead by kind and prayerful words we open the door for the Holy Spirit and the compassionate heart of Jesus to also enter into the conversation.

And when this happens- there is going to some faith and hope and practical wisdom in our words- even in our words to a hurting stranger.      

Conclusion
So the oral exam question and answer method is how true and accurate gospel knowledge of Jesus got started- it was only much later written down and formalized into the books of the New Testament bible.

And we Christians shouldn't tarry too long after our own salvation before we like the first apostles-disciples are ready to answer the questions of interest by those who have not yet professed Jesus as Lord-Savior and messiah of all- and even get ready for cynical and even oppositional questions that might come our way. - seasoning our answers with a little salt and good reasons for our faith and hope.

May our answers always include a little dash of down to earth salt and light and practical wisdom, and also an upward and hopeful glance and word about our hope in Jesus' return in glory to rapture his own, and His coming kingdom. May we also never forget His abiding love and mercy and care and compassion for each of us and all of us- in this world, the world he loved so much that he gave his life that whomsover shall faith on him "will never perish but have eternal life." John3,16

So be It- Amen.
In Jesus Name we pray and teach.
Br. Tobin