A Christmas Quiz
How well do you know the Christmas story? Take this quiz and find out! Answer true or false to the following.
1. An angel told Mary that she was pregnant from the Holy Spirit.
2. Mary and Joseph were on their way to Jerusalem when Mary went into labor.
3. The angels sang, “Glory to God in the Highest” the night Jesus was born.
4. No one knows if Jesus was born in a tent, a cave, a stable or somewhere else.
5. The Bible doesn’t mention any animals being present at the birth of Jesus.
6. Shepherds followed the star to find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
7. Wise men from the east followed the star to Bethlehem.
8. Wise men presented gifts to baby Jesus at the manger.
9. Three kings presented gifts.
10. The wise men returned to Herod to tell him of the birth of Jesus.
ANSWERS:
1. FALSE. Mary was told that she would become pregnant, and she agreed to the plan before Jesus was conceived. Luke 1:31-38; 2:21
2. FALSE. Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem. While they were there, Mary gave birth. Luke 2:1-7
3. FALSE. The angels didn’t sing, they spoke. Luke 2:9-14
4. TRUE. The Bible says only that He was laid in a manger, because there was no room in the inn. It is unknown where the manger was located, except that it was in Bethlehem. Luke 2:4-7
5. TRUE. The Bible says that shepherds were watching over their flocks in the fields that night (Luke 2:8). But there is no mention of any animals present when Jesus was born.
6. FALSE. The shepherds were told by the angel where to find Jesus. Luke 2:11-12, 15
7. FALSE. The wise men saw the star while they were in the east, and went to Jerusalem to find the Messiah. Herod called priests and teachers of the law to ask where the Bible said Messiah was to be born. The wise men went to Bethlehem in accordance with the prophecy of Micah. Matthew 2:1-6; Micah 5:2. After they left Jerusalem for Bethlehem, the star reappeared, and guided the wise men to the place where Jesus was. Matthew 2:9
8. FALSE. By the time the wise men reached Jesus, He was a “child” (no longer a baby), living in a house. Matthew 2:11
9. FALSE. The Bible says “wise men”, not kings. There were three gifts (gold, incense and myrrh), but the number of men is unknown. Matthew 2:1-11
10. FALSE. They were warned in a dream not to return, and they went back another way. Matthew 2:12
HOW DID YOU DO?
8 to 10 Correct: Congratulations! You are a Christmas expert! Now make like the shepherds and share the good news!
5 to 7 Correct: Good job! You’ve got the basics down. Read Luke, chapter 2 and Matthew, chapters 1 & 2, to brush up on the details.
0 to 4 Correct: You’ve been relying on tradition to teach you about Christmas, and tradition can be wrong. Could it be that you are looking to tradition for other truths about God? ‘Tis the Season to open the Bible and find out for yourself!
Copyright 2010, Kathryn A. Frazier.
Kathryn celebrates holidays in Jewish and Christian harmony. Tell her where you saw this and what you think! PreciousHolidays@yahoo.com
Article Source: FaithWriters.com http://www.faithwriters.com and FaithReaders.com http://www.faithreaders.com
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2 Comments until now.
Woo hoo! I’m an expert! 10 out of 10.
Fascinating, separating fact from fiction.
Issue 8 is interesting. Was Jesus a child or baby when the magi visited Him? Though Matthew 2:11 says child, for visit of the magi, Luke 2:16-17 freely applies the terms baby and child interchangeably, for the same event [the beholding of Jesus]. So, though the shepherds saw a baby, the term child was applied equally [Luke 2:17].
With Luke’s application of the two terms – baby and child – interchangeably; what are we to make of Matthew 2:11 use of the singular term child. Clearly the event of the visit of the magi was after the visit of the shepherds, since Jesus was no longer in a manger [Luke 2:16], as at visit of the shepherds, but had moved to the upgrade of a house [Matthew 2:11], as at visit of the magi.
But, was Jesus no longer a baby, at the visit of the magi? This begs the question: was Jesus of an age that the term baby would not longer be applicable?
Forty days after a Hebrew mother gave birth, she was obliged to present her circumcised [Jesus was circumcised, Luke 2:21] baby to the Temple. Had Mary made presentation yet? Knowing Joseph commenced travel, with his family, toward Egypt the very night of receiving word [this word was given after the visit of the magi, Matthew 2:13] from an angel, the answer is yes – Mary had already presented Jesus at the Temple [for Joseph and Mary would not have usurped this inviolable Law of the Torah].
Therefore, Jesus was at least 40 days old, at presentation to the Temple, and if the presentation were done prior to the visit of the magi, He was at least 40 days old then, as well. But, knowing the minimum age Jesus was does not yield knowledge of the actual age He could have been, at the visit.
This leads to asking: could Jesus have been older than 40 days, at the visit?
A star appeared that was destined to stop over the place where Jesus was [Matthew 2:9]. The magi recognized the star as heralding the arrival of the King of the Jews [Matthew 2:2] and were purposed to come and worship Him [Matthew 2:2]. King Herod learned from the magi exactly when the star appeared [Matthew 2:7]. He ordered all males of two years of age and younger to be murdered who inhabited Bethlehem and surroundings [Matthew 2:16].
The two-year-old upper limit of the male pogrom speaks to the probability that Jesus’ age did not exceed that of two years. But, it does not clarify His actual age.
So, Jesus’ age was probably between that of forty days and two years. He could, therefore, have been a baby or a child, at the visit of the Magi. So, Matthew’s use of the term child, does not preclude the implication of baby, especially in light of Luke’s free interchange of each term equally.
Issue 9 is also interesting. Matthew does use the term “wise men.” But, that use is not exclusive. Reference could also include: “sorcerers”, “astrologers”, “noble men”, and “kings.” Kings has preference for those believing Matthew is actually claiming Isaiah 60:3.
I truly appreciate Kathryn’s Christmas Quiz. Makes one think. Merry Christmas to her and to all!