how much do you really know about the Christmas story?

[emily]

1. What does the Bible say that the Innkeeper said to Mary and Joseph? (Luke 2:7)
A. "There is no room in the inn."
B. "I have a stable you can use."
C. "Come back later; I should have a vacancy"
D. Both A and B
E. None of the above

2. A manger is a...
A. Stable for domestic animals
B. Wooden hay storage bin
C. Feeding trough or watering trough
D. Barn

3. Which animals does the Bible say were present at Jesus' birth?
A. Cows, sheep, goats
B. Cows, donkeys, sheep
C. Only sheep and cows
D. Miscellaneous barnyard animals
E. None of the above

4. According to the Bible, who saw the star in the east?
A. Shepherds
B. Mary and Joseph
C. Three Kings
D. Both A and C
E. None of the above

5. According to the Bible, how did Mary and Joseph get to Bethlehem?
A. Camel
B. Donkey
C. Walked
D. Joseph walked, Mary rode a donkey
E. Horse-drawn chariot
F. The Bible doesn't say

6. How many angels spoke to the shepherds? (Luke 2:10)
A. One
B. Three
C. Multitude
D. None of the above

7. What did the angels say/sing? (Luke 2:14)
A. "Glory to God in the highest, etc."
B. "Alleluia"
C. "Joy the world, the Lord is come"
D. "Unto us a child is born, Unto us a son is given"

8. What is a heavenly host?
A. An angel at the gate of heaven
B. The angel who serves refreshments in heaven
C. An angel choir
D. An angel army

9. What is Frankincense?
A. A precious metal
B. A precious fabric
C. A precious perfume
D. None of the above

10. In Matthew, what does "wise men" or "Magi" refer to?
A. Men of the educated class
B. Eastern Kings
C. Astronomers
D. Sages

11. What is Myrrh?
A. Middle Eastern Money
B. A drink
C. The sound a happy cat makes
D. A spice used for burying people
E. None of the above

12. How many wise men does the Bible say came to see Jesus? _____

13. Where did the "magi" find Jesus? (Matthew 2:11)
A. In a manger
B. In a stable
C. In Nazareth
D. In Egypt
E. In a house
F. None of the above

14. When the "magi" found Jesus he was... (Matthew 2:11)
A. A babe wrapped in swaddling clothes
B. A young child
C. A boy in the temple
D. A grown man

15. The "star in the east" that the wise men followed... (Matthew 2:9)
A. Stayed in the same place their entire journey
B. Disappeared and reappeared
C. Moved ahead of them and stopped over the place where Jesus was
D. Stayed above the manger the night Jesus was born
E. None of the above

16. The "magi" stopped in Jerusalem... (Matthew 2:2)
A. To inform Herod about Jesus
B. To find out where the king was
C. To ask about the star
D. None of the above

17. Where do we find the story of Jesus’ birth?
A. Matthew
B. Mark
C. Luke
D. John
E. All of the above
F. Only A and B
G. Only A and C
H. Only A, B, and C

18. When Joseph found Mary was pregnant, what happened?
A. They had a huge wedding
B. Joseph wanted to break the engagement
C. Mary left town for three months
D. B and C

 

[emily]

Answers will be posted over the weekend.

 

[Nebulous]

I don't know anything about this stuff really.

 

[emily]

THE ANSWERS: (Read the scriptures beside the questions first)

1. E In the Bible, the innkeeper didn't "say" anything. In fact, the Bible doesn’t even say that there was an “innkeeper”! (See Luke 2:7)

2. C Feeding trough or watering trough

3. E The Bible doesn't say, we just "assume" that since Jesus was placed in a "manger" (and therefore probably in a place where animals were sheltered),
that there were various barnyard animals present. However, since the shepherds were keeping watch over their flocks in the fields that night, all the other
animals could have been out of the "stable" as well.

4. E This is a "trick" question. The "magi" saw the star. However, the Bible doesn't say how many there were and they were not "kings", but astronomers
or "star gazers" (see answer 10).

5. F Although the modern "pictures" in a Bible will show Mary on a donkey with Joseph beside her, the Bible doesn't actually say!”

6. A Luke 2:10 "The angel of the Lord said unto them..."

7. A Luke 2:14

8. D The word "host" means "army" - literally thousands. Now, since there was a "multitude" of the heavenly army" (hosts), there could easily have
been from 10,000 - 100,000 angels there that night! No wonder the shepherds were "sore afraid"!

9. C Frankincense was used in the temple worship of the Lord. It represents his deity because he is truly God born in human flesh.

10. C The word "Magi" literally means "star-gazers".

11. D Myrrh was used as part of the normal Jewish burial customs. Jesus was buried with a 75 pound mixture of myrrh and aloes. (See John 19:39.
The Greek says he was buried with 100 “litra”, from where we get the word “liter”, which is approximately 75 pounds. This is the reason some translations
will say about 100 pounds and some will say about 75 pounds.)

12. The Bible doesn't give the number. Many people assume that there were three because of the three gifts. However, in ancient times, these men usually
traveled in caravans of ten to twelve, along with a full entourage needed for meals. provisions and protection.

13. E Matthew 2:11 (see the next answer)

14. B Matthew 2:11 When the Shepherds found Jesus, he was a "babe" in a manger. The Greek word used in Luke 2 is for a "newborn baby". However, by
the time the Magi appeared in Bethlehem, Jesus had been moved from the manger to a house (verse 11) and the Greek word used in Matthew is for "toddler"
or "young child". He was probably somewhere between 10-18 months old.

15. C Matthew 2:9 Most people miss this question, because there are so many pictures and dramas in which the star remains stationary over the manger.
The star did not appear over the manger (the shepherds did not see the star over Bethlehem that night) nor did it stay stationary over the house. This
verse makes it clear that the star moved "in front" of the magi and guided them till it "stood over where the young child was". These men lived in "the
east". Which means they were already in the "east" when they saw the star "in the east". (Read Matthew 2:1-2) So, the star had to first move over them
and then to the west toward Bethlehem before they could begin to follow the star! This explains why it took them so long from the time the star appeared
(at his birth) to reach "the young child"

16. B Read Matthew 2:2

17. G Isn't it amazing how God divinely inspired these two gospel writers to write His exact words, but, yet, He used their interests and professions
to recall different aspects of Jesus' birth. Matthew, a tax collector, records the genealogy of Jesus (used for registration and taxation) and tells the
story of the "magi" - men of means from a foreign country. Luke, on the other hand, was a physician, so he records the pregnancy and birth. (Luke 1 & 2)

18. D Joseph wanted to "put her away" secretly and Mary left town to see her cousin Elizabeth. (Matthew 1:19 and Luke 1:39, 56). We have no Biblical
evidence of a “huge wedding”

 

[Nebulous]

Thanks @emily, very informative