Bible Christmas Trivia Quiz

Answer: Mark

Chapters one and two in Matthew and Luke both give detailed accounts of when Jesus was born. John 1:14, from the KJV, reads "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us..." However, the shortest gospel, Mark, remains silent on this topic.

Question by star_gazer.

Answer: The Shepherds

In Luke 2, the baby was born and angels then appeared to some shepherds who were watching their sheep. They told the shepherds that the son of God had been born in Bethlehem. When the shepherds heard this news, they went to Bethlehem to see the baby. When they saw that it was as the angels had said, they went throughout the city telling everybody what had happened. Luke says that everybody who heard the news were amazed at what the shepherds had told them.

Question by Jimmy (J-Zilch).

Answer: No number is given

Tradition has it three Magi worshiped baby Jesus and then presented gifts to him. However, nowhere in the Bible does it state the number of Magi. Their visit is recorded in Matthew 2:1-12. The reason that people believe there were three Magi is the fact that they presented three gifts to baby Jesus. According to the NIV, the gifts were gold, frankincense and myrrh. (The Magi are also referred to as Kings and Wise Men.) Scripture states they came from the east and followed a star that guided them to Jesus.

Question by Cowrofl.

Answer: The City of David

Bethlehem is sometimes called, as here, 'the city of David' because King David was anointed as king here, and it is also traditionally, and probably, his birthplace.

Question by Rimrunner.

Answer: both groups stank

Fishermen and shepherds are two smelly occupational groups.

The shepherds slept in the fields with their sheep in order to keep warm, so they smelled just like their sheep, and if you have ever done much fishing, you know that the smell of fish is very hard to get rid of. Jesus deliberately chose his first disciples from among the smelly fishermen, from a despised tax collector, and from other occupations that would be considered "less than desirable," and perhaps might even be considered as social outcasts.
(The notable exception was Judas - ish -(from) Kerioth or (Iscariot), whose father was a member of the religious/legal/social body called the Sanhedrin.)

Jesus' first visitors, the shepherds, didn't smell too hot, either, but throughout the course of his ministry Jesus stressed that He didn't come to call the righteous to repentance, but the sinners. He had many issues with the religious leaders of his day, mainly because He largely ignored them or was at odds with their interpretation of God's law, and instead, reached out to those who KNEW that they needed His help.

Question by logcrawler.

Answer: Census

Luke 2:1-5 (New International Version) reads as follows:

"In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child."

I find it fascinating that Caesar Augustus is connected to Christ's place of birth!

Question by star_gazer.

Answer: Luke

It is of interest that the word 'manger' is used only three times in the entire Bible and all three instances can be found in the second chapter of Luke. A manger is basically a feed trough for animals and as there was no room in the inn for Mary and Joseph, they were allowed to take shelter in the stable. Mary therefore used the manger as a crib for the Christ Child after He was born. What a lowly beginning for the King of Kings.

Question by birdman585.

Answer: six

In Matthew we read of the following encounters:

1. In Matthew 1:20, an angel appears to Joseph in a dream, assuring him Mary's pregnancy is by the Holy Spirit and telling him to take her as his wife.
2. In Matthew 1:13, an angel warns Joseph in a dream to flee to Egypt because Herod wants to kill Jesus.
3. In Matthew 2:19-20, after Herod's death, an angel tells Joseph in a dream that it is safe to return to Israel.
4. Luke begins his account in Luke 1:11-12 with an angel announcing to Zacharias the priest that his barren wife will give birth to a son. He is to name him John. Later this son will be known as John the Baptist, a cousin to Jesus. John is to prepare the way for Jesus to begin his ministry.
5. In Luke 1:30-31, the angel Gabriel appears to Mary to tell her she will give birth to a son. She is to name him Jesus, the angel says, and he will be called the son of God.
6. In Luke 2:13-14, a multitude of angels appear to shepherds announcing their savior has been born and they will find him in Bethlehem.

Question by wordwalker.

Answer: Kill them

Herod decided to kill all of the boys in Bethlehem two years and younger so that he might kill Jesus. He did this because the Magi told him that a baby had been born in Bethlehem and he would become a king. He decided to kill Jesus so he could keep his throne; he had all these babies killed because he didn't know which one was Jesus. Jesus wasn't harmed in this killing because an angel had previously appeared to Joseph while he was sleeping and told him to take his family to Egypt. Joseph followed the instructions and the family fled to Egypt, saving Jesus from the killing. (Good News Bible) Many Christians commemorate this event, known as the Killing of the Innocents, on December 28.

Question by aclb.

Answer: As he slept, the angel of the Lord was in his dreams

Joseph, whom Christians believe to be the earthly step-father of Jesus, is often relegated to a position off in the distance. People often focus on Mary and Jesus, while Joseph and his feelings are largely ignored. Mary and Joseph were not even married when Mary became pregnant with Jesus. If you think that today's society has a little problem with that, just imagine the culture in which they lived!

Joseph was a fair-minded man, and didn't wish to humiliate Mary, even though he had no idea whose child she was carrying. The whole issue bothered him a great deal, and while he pondered the correct course of action, he received reassurances regarding this upcoming birth.

In Matthew 1:18-25, we see that Joseph was concerned about the pending birth of a child that he KNEW wasn't his. As he struggled with how to handle this matter discreetly, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream.

The angel's name is not mentioned, although it may have been the messenger angel, Gabriel. In Luke 1:26-38, Gabriel IS mentioned by name, but he was speaking directly to Mary at that time.

Question by logcrawler.