Willing to Forgive Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Lord's Prayer

There are two slightly different versions of the Lord's Prayer: one is in Matthew 6:9-13 and the other is in Luke 11:1-4. It's called the Lord's Prayer because they are the words Jesus told his disciples to use when they asked how they should pray. The prayer asks God for forgiveness, as well as asking for help to be forgiving towards others.

Answer: The people at his crucifixion

In Luke 23, Jesus was sentenced to death and taken to the place called 'The Skull'. A crowd of people followed him there. Some of them were mourning for him, some were just watching, and some were making fun of him. Jesus was crucified between two criminals and it was then that he asked God to forgive "them". Like many Bible quotes, the "they" is open to interpretation.

It almost certainly refers to the crowds, particularly those who contributed to Jesus' death, not realising that they were crucifying the man who Christians believe to be the Son of God.

Some interpretations are more general; "they" refers to all mankind and all the mistakes we unknowingly make.

Answer: Isaiah

The verse is Isaiah 43:25. The book of Isaiah was named after a prophet who lived in the 8th century BCE. It can be divided into three parts and chapter 43 was written when many people from Judah were living in exile in Babylon.

Esther and Song of Solomon are the two books in the Good News Translation that don't mention God by name.

Answer: When they repent

In Luke 17:3, Jesus says "So watch what you do! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him." The next verse goes on to say that even if "your brother" sins against you seven times in a day, you should forgive him if he has said that he repents.

In Matthew 18, Peter asked Jesus how many times he should forgive someone who continued to sin against him. Peter suggested seven times, but Jesus told him that it should be more than that - "seventy times seven". He went on to tell a parable showing how God continues to forgive, so people should continue to forgive, no matter how many times they are wronged. In Luke 17, however, Jesus says that forgiveness comes after repentance. It raises the question: should a Christian forgive someone who isn't sorry for what they have done wrong?

Answer: To the bottom of the sea

Micah was a prophet who believed that Judah was going to be punished for injustices they had committed. Micah 7:18 says, "There is no other god like you, O LORD; you forgive the sins of your people who have survived. You do not stay angry forever, but you take pleasure in showing us your constant love." Verse 19 says that God will be merciful.

He will "trample" on people's sins and "send them to the bottom of the sea". The way Micah wrote suggests that he believed the people would be forgiven and that their future would be better than the situation they were in at the time.

Answer: Tolerant

The Letter to the Colossians was written by Paul to a town in Asia Minor (now Turkey) called Colossae. Some people in the church there were introducing rites and practices that were not sanctioned by Jesus in the Gospels and were not part of the Early Church. Paul sent a letter to the church in order to correct any misunderstandings, particularly with regard to forgiveness and salvation.

In chapter three, he explained how to be "people of God" by being compassionate, humble, tolerant, and forgiving, among other things.

Answer: The blood of Christ

Ephesians was another letter written by Paul to a church in Asia Minor, this time to the church in the town of Ephesus. Paul wrote that "the blood of Christ" sets people free. He explained that this freedom meant that sins had been forgiven. The phrase "blood of Christ" can also be translated to "the sacrificial death of Christ". Paul was saying that Jesus' death allowed people to have their sins forgiven.

Answer: Mark

The quote came from Mark 11:25 in the Good News Translation. Jesus was talking to Peter and some of his other disciples about prayer. He encouraged them to be ambitious in what they prayed for, fully believing in whatever they asked for. Jesus went on to tell them that as they prayed, they should forgive anyone who had wronged them.

This part of Mark 11 is similar to Matthew 6 where the Lord's Prayer was laid out.

Answer: They wanted to go back to Egypt.

In Exodus, the Israelites left Egypt because they were being treated badly. With Moses as their leader, they went out into the desert and headed for the land that God had promised them. But their reward was not as instantaneous as the people would have liked and after a while, their time in the desert tested their faith in God.

They complained, created idols, and suggested new leaders to replace Moses and to take them back to Egypt. The people gave up on God time and again, but God forgave them on every occasion.

In Numbers 14:19, Moses pleaded with God, saying, "And now, LORD, according to the greatness of your unchanging love, forgive, I pray, the sin of these people, just as you have forgiven them ever since they left Egypt."

Answer: The Last Supper

Jesus spoke about his body and blood during the Last Supper. The words he said in Matthew 26 (as well as those in Luke 22) are often used during Holy Communion, when Christians eat bread and drink wine in order to remember Jesus' sacrifice and to ask for forgiveness for their sins.

In many Catholic and Church of England services, believers forgive each other during The Peace. Sharing the Peace with one another occurs just before Communion: people forgive each other so that they are prepared for God to forgive them during Mass. The practice of sharing the Peace has its origins in Matthew 5:23-24, in which Jesus says, "If you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift."