Luke 2:10 (NIV)
But the angel
said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great
joy for all the people.
Today I
thought it would be fun to take a Christmas quiz. After you have taken the quiz
let me know how you did. The answers are at the end of the post
1.
As long as Christmas has been celebrated, it has been on December
25th? True or False
2.
Joseph was from:
Bethlehem
Jerusalem
Nazareth
Egypt
Saskatchewan
None of the
above
3.
Who insisted that Joseph and Mary go to Bethlehem?
The Angel
Mary’s mother
Herod
Caesar
Augustus
Alexander the
Great
no one told
them to go
4.
How did Mary and Joseph travel to Bethlehem?
camel
donkey
walked
Volkswagen
Joseph walked,
Mary rode a donkey
Who knows?
5.
Mary and Joseph were married when Mary became pregnant? True or False
6.
Mary and Joseph were married before Jesus was born? True or False
7.
Mary was a virgin when she delivered Jesus? True or False
8.
What did the innkeeper tell Mary and Joseph?
There is no
room at the inn
I have a
stable you can use
Come back
after the Christmas rush
None of the
above
9.
Jesus was delivered in a:
stable
manger
cave
barn
unknown
10.
A manger is a:
stable for
domestic animals
wooden hay
storage bin
feeding
trough
barn
11.
According to the Bible, which animals were present at Jesus’ birth?
cows, sheep,
goats
cows,
donkeys, sheep
miscellaneous
barnyard animals
lions, tigers
and bears
we don’t know
12.
Who saw the star in the east?
shepherds
Mary and
Joseph
Magi (aka
Wise Men)
both
shepherds and Magi
none of the
above
13.
What “sign” did the angels tell the shepherds to look for?
A star over
Bethlehem
A baby that
doesn’t cry
A baby in a
stable
A baby lying
in a manger
None of the
above
14.
What is a “heavenly host”?
The angel at
the gate of Heaven
The angel who
invites people to Heaven
An angel
choir
An angel army
None of the
above
15.
What did the heavenly host of angels say?
Joy to the
World
Alleluia
Unto us a
child is born
Glory to God
in the highest
16.
Did the baby Jesus cry?
He never
cried
He cried just
like other babies
He cried when
the little drummer boy banged his drum
17.
We Three Kings of Orient Are…Who were they?
Gaspar, Melchior,
and Balthasar
Astrologers,
Seers, Fortune tellers
Scholars from
Persia
Royal
Astronomers
Kings
We’re not
100% sure
18.
How many Magi came to see Jesus?
Probably less
than 10
three
We don’t know
for sure, but there were probably dozens in their entourage
19.
Where did the Magi find Jesus?
in the manger
in the stable
in an inn
in a house
20.
Which Gospels give details about Christ’s Birth so we can answer these
questions and get the TRUE facts?
Matthew
Mark
Luke
John
Matthew and
Mark
Matthew and
Luke
Matthew, Mark
and Luke
Matthew,
Mark, Luke and John
Answers:
1. False.
For the church’s first three centuries, Christmas wasn’t in December—or
on the calendar at all. If observed at
all, the celebration of Christ’s birth was usually lumped in with Epiphany
(January 6), one of the church’s earliest established feasts. Some church
leaders even opposed the idea of a birth celebration. Origen (c.185-c.254)
preached that it would be wrong to honor Christ in the same way Pharaoh and
Herod were honored. Birthdays were for pagan gods.
Not all of
Origen’s contemporaries agreed that Christ’s birthday shouldn’t be celebrated,
and some began to speculate on the date (actual records were apparently long
lost). Clement of Alexandria (c.150-c.215) favored May 20 but noted that others
had argued for April 18, April 19, and May 28. Hippolytus (c.170-c.236)
championed January 2. November 17, November 20, and March 25 all had backers as
well. A Latin treatise written around 243 pegged March 21, because that was
believed to be the date on which God created the sun. Polycarp (c.69-c.155) had
followed the same line of reasoning to conclude that Christ’s birth and baptism
most likely occurred on Wednesday, because the sun was created on the fourth
day.
The eventual
choice of December 25, made perhaps as early as 273, reflects a convergence of
Origen’s concern about pagan gods and the church’s identification of God’s son
with the celestial sun. December 25 already hosted two other related festivals:
natalis solis invicti (the Roman “birth of the unconquered sun”), and the
birthday of Mithras, the Iranian “Sun of Righteousness” whose worship was
popular with Roman soldiers. The winter solstice, another celebration of the
sun, fell just a few days earlier. Seeing that pagans were already exalting
deities with some parallels to the true deity, church leaders decided to
commandeer the date and introduce a new festival.
Western
Christians first celebrated Christmas on December 25 in 336, after Emperor
Constantine had declared Christianity the empire’s favored religion. Eastern
churches, however, held on to January 6 as the date for Christ’s birth and his
baptism.
2. Joseph was from Bethlehem (Luke 2:4)
3. Caesar Augustus decreed that a census be taken and all people
return to their places of birth. (Luke
2:1)
4. Who knows?
The Bible does not say anything about a donkey. Luke 2:4 simply tells us that Joseph and Mary
went from Nazareth to Galilee. Many
biblical scholars think that because of their economic status they probably
both walked but that is just speculation.
5. False, Joseph and Mary were not married when
she became pregnant. (Luke 2:5, Matthew
1:18-25).
6. True.
Joseph and Mary were married before she gave birth to Jesus. (Matthew 1:24)
7. True.
Mary was a virgin when she gave birth to Jesus. (Matthew 1:25) However, she did not remain a virgin after
Jesus’ birth. Scripture tells us that
Jesus had brothers and sisters after He was born. (Matthew 13:55) Read a great article on this topic here:
http://www.gotquestions.org/Jesus-siblings.html
8. None of the above. The Bible does not say any words spoken by
the inn keeper. In fact, Luke does not
even mention an inn keeper, merely an inn and the fact that there was no
room. (Luke 2:7). To get really specific, there is also no
mention of a stable.
9. Unknown.
Just like no words being recorded by the innkeeper, there is no mention
where Mary delivered Jesus. Matthew says
Jesus was born in Bethlehem and Luke 2:7 says Mary gave birth to Him and laid
him in a manger.
10. A feeding trough for animals. Perhaps it was this fact alone that has
brought about the popular assumption that Jesus was born in a stable or barn
because of a manger being close at hand to put the Baby in. Using deductive reasoning, culture has also
determined that if there is a feeding trough, there must also be animals
nearby. Countless Nativity or crèche
scenes depict that as fact. It is merely
speculation and assumption. Scripture
doesn’t back up those theories in any way.
11. We don’t know. There is no mention of animals of any kind
around Jesus after His birth. Refer to
my explanation #10.
12. The Magi.
The star is only mentioned in conjunction with the Magi. They told Herod they had seen the star. (Matthew 2:2)
13. The sign the angels told the shepherds to
look for was a baby lying in a manger.
(Luke 2:12)
14. A Heavenly Host (Hebrew Sabaoth “armies”)
refers to a large angel army (Luk.2:13; Rev.19:19).
15. “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on
earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
(Luke 2:14)
16. Absolutely the Baby Jesus cried! Baby Jesus was fully human. He cried when He was hungry, tired, wet, and
in pain just like any other baby.
(Hebrews 2:14)
17. We’re not 100% sure. Matthew 2:1-12 reveals nothing of these visitors’
ancestry. Over the centuries, legend has
assigned them names: Gaspar, or Casper;
Melchior, and Balthasar. Balthsar has a
Persian sound. If indeed these men were
scholars from Persia, they would have been familiar with Daniel’s prophecy
about the Messiah or “Anointed One.” (Daniel 9:24-27). The designation “Magi” refers to a Persian
religious caste, but when this gospel was written, the term was loosely used
for astrologers, seers, and fortune tellers.
Matthew does not call them kings; that title was used later, in
legends. They may have been royal
astronomers, advisers to kings.
http://christianity.about.com/od/newtestamentpeople/a/Three-Kings.htm
18. We don’t know for sure. The Bible does not tell us how many Magi
visited Jesus. The tradition of “3″
probably developed because they presented 3 kinds of gifts. According to scholars the Magi’s journey
probably lasted up to two years with an entourage of dozens or more people.
19. Sorry to wreck your Nativity scenes, but the
Magi were not present the night Jesus was born.
Scriptural evidence shows Jesus could have been as old as two by the
time they arrived. If that is true then
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph would have been staying in a house. (Matthew 2:11)
20. The Gospels of Matthew and Luke give us all
the details of Jesus’ Birth.
Dear Lord,
thanks for all You gave us on that first Christmas day. We pray as we get ready
to celebrate we will take the time to remember that its because of You and what
You gave. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.