It was springtime. Our second semester had begun just a few weeks earlier and the weather in north Mississippi was already getting warm. We sat chatting easily among ourselves while we waited for our instructor.
I loved practically everything about college- even the classes. Well most of the time anyway. Some days my classes were more fun than others. This particular day turned out to be - well, let's just say it was a day to be remembered!
As our instructor walked to the front of the classroom, she peered at us through her glasses and smiled. Then she said something most of us dreaded hearing. Class time would be devoted to impromptu speeches. Ugh! Surely she wouldn't call on me.
Wrong again! My assigned subject was 'the color yellow.' It was such a random topic! I tried not to be nervous. I told myself it was only for two minutes - not a long time at all. It's only 120 seconds and seconds go by in a flash.
Those two minutes seemed to last forever! I didn't think I would ever hear her say "time." With the help of my classmates, I managed to muddle through somehow.
Any teacher might unexpectedly call on a student to discuss the topic at hand. The difference is that topic is usually from assigned work instead of being pulled out of thin air! Those are the toughest ones.
Another dreaded event in the life of a student is the pop quiz. I don't suppose anyone likes to be hit with the unexpected and those surprise tests are no exception! I had an English teacher who gave pop tests frequently. I didn't dare miss a reading assignment in her class!
In a way, one might say Jesus was given numerous pop quizzes throughout His ministry. From the very beginning of His teaching, He never got a break. Try as they might, the scribes and Pharisees never caught Jesus off guard. But boy did they try!
As we read through the gospels, we can see Jesus was always ready for them. Time after time, He passed with flying colors. He answered as God would have Him to, teaching the Father's will as He did so.
The gospels record several of these exchanges and each of us probably have our favorites. One of my favorites is found in John 8:2-11. The scribes and Pharisees brought to Jesus a woman they caught in adultery. Then they asked him "Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. What do you say?"
This was the height of hypocrisy! The punishment under the old law was exactly the same for men as it was for women -- exactly the same. If she was caught in the act that means the man was too. These men knew who her guilty partner was - yet they did not bring him with her.
I am sure many of those who witnessed the scene realized the cruelty and duplicity of these men. And they honestly believed they would trip Jesus with this. His answer? His answer was masterful - "Let him who is without among you be the first to throw a stone at her."
Jesus answered with just one sentence. With one sentence He condemned the accusers and showed mercy to the accused. Who would dare claim perfection to cast a stone at the adulterous woman?
Christ our Savior was always ready to answer those who questioned Him. Some came to Him in all sincerity wanting to learn as much from Him as they could. Others wanted to prove Him a fool.
In Luke 10:25-37 we find another time Christ was "put to the test." It was a lawyer who tried to trick him up. He asked Jesus what he should do to inherit eternal life. Christ replied by asking what the law said.
The lawyer answered Jesus appropriately. Love God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind and love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus told him he was right and if he would do this, then he would live.
Ah, but it seems the lawyer wasn't done. He asked Christ "Who is my neighbor?" Did the man actually think he could trap Jesus with this one?
Christ responded with the most beautiful impromptu story I've ever heard. It was the story of the Good Samaritan - the definitive explanation of who our neighbors are. Our fellow man is our neighbor. Don't by pass by those who are hurting - who are struggling.
Jesus always answered every question perfectly. Why? How was He able to do that? Yes, I know He is the Son of God. But He is also our perfect example. Jesus got the answers right because He knew the material.
I haven't forgotten the panic that came from taking a test I wasn't prepared for. During a pop test, I always felt better when I'd done my homework or gone over my notes after class. Even in speech class, the instructor usually gives techniques to help the student well before speaking assignments begin.
So the question for us spiritually is -- do we know the material? Do we know who our neighbor is and how we should treat one another? Do we know what Christ teaches about gossip, theft and lying?
If we were asked to exclude someone from our group at school or work because others say they don't fit in - are we supposed to go along with that? Are we putting God first in our lives? It is so important to 'know the material.'
Don't let life catch you off guard. Oh, I know life happens and sometimes we slip up here and there. We must be careful not to be like the Pharisee's who caught the woman in adultery. God knows our hearts and knows if we are trying to live for Him.
If we know God -- and His Son, if we keep the love of Christ in our heart and long to serve Him, if we study the scriptures and apply them to our lives then we will know the material. We will be ready with our answers.
Then when we face the biggest test of all, we will hear: "Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world" (Matthew 25:34).
Christ above all things,
Robin
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