One of the main purposes of a midterm exam is to chart the progress of the students. After weeks of readings, lectures, and assignments, a teacher may want to gauge how well the class is retaining, processing, and synthesizing the material presented. Are they getting it? Are they putting the pieces together? Are they learning?
In the sixth chapter of his Gospel account, Mark describes a couple of exams taken by Jesus’s disciples. These twelve men are well into their “Ministry with the Messiah” studies. They had been drinking from the proverbial firehose, having seen, heard, and experienced a significant amount in his presence. But now it’s time to track their development. Are they getting it? Are they learning, growing, and understanding? And as readers witness the examination of Christ’s first-century disciples, the Holy Spirit prompts us twenty-first-century disciples to check our progress as well.
