I had a Proverbs 16:18 moment the other day.
Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.
A friend said she was amazed that no one she had given a Biblical Christmas story quiz had achieved 100%. My pride immediately set me up for a fall and I said I would do the quiz, thinking I would get 100% for sure! I know my Bible.
Alas, I ended up only getting 60%, while my wife got 70%.
You can test yourself with the quiz now! Christmas is fresh in our memories, so it’s a good time to give it a go. Write your selections down and add up your score afterwards.
1. For the journey to Bethlehem, Mary and Joseph
a) walked
b) Joseph walked, Mary rode a donkey
c) rode a bus
d) who knows?
2. When Mary became pregnant, Mary and Joseph were
a) married
b) just friends
c) engaged
d) none of the above
3. When Mary became pregnant,
a) Joseph married her
b) Joseph wanted to dissolve their relationship
c) Mary left Nazareth for a while
d) both b and c
4. Christmas has always been observed
a) on December 25
b) on January 17
c) at the beach
d) none of the above
5. How many wise men came to see Jesus?
6. Who directed Mary and Joseph to go to Bethlehem?
a) Herod
b) an angel
c) Caesar
d) Inland Revenue
7. Just what is a heavenly host?
a) an angelic choir
b) the welcoming angel in heaven
c) an array of angels
d) none of the above
8. How many angels spoke to the shepherds?
a) a multitude
b) two: Gabriel and Michael
c) one
d) who knows?
9. What song did the angels sing?
a) “O Little Town of Bethlehem”
b) “Joy to the World”
c) “Glory to God in the Highest”
d) none of the above
10. Baby Jesus was born in a
a) cave
b) manger
c) Bethlehem
d) none of the above
11. Joseph’s family was from
a) Jerusalem
b) Nazareth
c) Bethlehem
d) none of the above
12. What animals were present at Jesus’ birth?
a) cows, sheep and camels
b) cows, sheep and donkeys
c) lions and tigers and bears
d) who knows?
13. What is a manger anyway?
a) a barn
b) a place for hay
c) a feeding trough
d) a Bible term for the church nursery
14. When did baby Jesus cry?
a) when he opened the wise men’s gifts
b) whenever babies usually cried
c) when the cattle started lowing
d) “no crying he makes”
15. Who saw the star over Bethlehem?
a) Mary and Joseph
b) shepherds
c) three kings
d) none of the above
16. What in the world are Magi?
a) Eastern kings
b) bankers
c) astrologers and scholars
d) school teachers
17. When the wise men brought their gifts to Jesus, they found him in:
a) a manger
b) a house
c) at Spring Camp
d) none of the above
18. What sign were the shepherds to look for?
a) a star over the stable
b) a barn outlined with Christmas lights
c) a baby in a manger
d) both a and c
19. What did the innkeeper say to Mary and Joseph?
a) “I have a stable out back”
b) “Come back after the holidays”
c) “There’s no room in the inn”
d) none of the above
20. In what books of the Bible will you find these fascinating facts?
a) Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
b) Matthew and Luke
c) Mark and Matthew
d) Matthew, Mark and Luke
1) d – the Bible gives no record of their means of travel
2) c – see Matthew 1:18
3) d – see Matthew 1:19; Luke 1:39, 56
4) d – December 25 was selected late in the fourth century as a day to celebrate Christ’s birth
5) see Matthew 2:11. The Bible doesn’t say how many – only that Magi came bringing gold, frankincense and myrrh
6) c – see Luke 2:1
7) c
8) c – see Luke 2:10
9) d – see Luke 2:13. They didn’t sing they spoke. Okay, if you picked c, we’ll give you a point!
10) d – see Luke 2:7. We aren’t told where Jesus was born, only that after his birth he was laid in a manger
11) c – see Luke 2:4
12) d – the Bible doesn’t say anything about animals being present
13) c – a trough or an open box in which feed for livestock is placed
14) b – he was fully human as well as fully God
15) d – three kings are not mentioned in the Bible, only in songs
16) c – a constitutional council of scholars and astronomers pivotal in electing and advising Parthian kings (read this fascinating Kōrero article about the Magi!)
17) b – see Matthew 2:11
18) c – see Luke 2:12
19) d – an innkeeper is never mentioned in the Scriptures
20) b – check it out!
Over the past few days I have been pondering my lack of Biblical knowledge of the Christmas story. I got eight questions wrong because my knowledge was informed not by the Bible but by the worldly stories around Christmas. Things I thought were Biblical facts were actually bits people have added to the Christmas narrative over the centuries.
I’ve been challenged to return to the habit of reading my Bible daily. I am going to start by reading the Christmas story again reflecting on what it says and not what I think I know. I would also challenge you to read the Christmas story as presented in the Bible and check out what in your mind is fact or fiction.
Quiz sourced from Baptist Press, originally in HomeLife, a magazine published by LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Modified slightly for our context.
Check out other articles in the
series below.
More articles in the
series are to come.
We have invited these writers to share their experiences, ideas and opinions in the hope that these will provoke thought, challenge you to go deeper and inspire you to put your faith into action. These articles should not be taken as the official view of the Nelson Diocese on any particular matter.
I had a Proverbs 16:18 moment the other day.
Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.
A friend said she was amazed that no one she had given a Biblical Christmas story quiz had achieved 100%. My pride immediately set me up for a fall and I said I would do the quiz, thinking I would get 100% for sure! I know my Bible.
Alas, I ended up only getting 60%, while my wife got 70%.
You can test yourself with the quiz now! Christmas is fresh in our memories, so it’s a good time to give it a go. Write your selections down and add up your score afterwards.
1. For the journey to Bethlehem, Mary and Joseph
a) walked
b) Joseph walked, Mary rode a donkey
c) rode a bus
d) who knows?
2. When Mary became pregnant, Mary and Joseph were
a) married
b) just friends
c) engaged
d) none of the above
3. When Mary became pregnant,
a) Joseph married her
b) Joseph wanted to dissolve their relationship
c) Mary left Nazareth for a while
d) both b and c
4. Christmas has always been observed
a) on December 25
b) on January 17
c) at the beach
d) none of the above
5. How many wise men came to see Jesus?
6. Who directed Mary and Joseph to go to Bethlehem?
a) Herod
b) an angel
c) Caesar
d) Inland Revenue
7. Just what is a heavenly host?
a) an angelic choir
b) the welcoming angel in heaven
c) an array of angels
d) none of the above
8. How many angels spoke to the shepherds?
a) a multitude
b) two: Gabriel and Michael
c) one
d) who knows?
9. What song did the angels sing?
a) “O Little Town of Bethlehem”
b) “Joy to the World”
c) “Glory to God in the Highest”
d) none of the above
10. Baby Jesus was born in a
a) cave
b) manger
c) Bethlehem
d) none of the above
11. Joseph’s family was from
a) Jerusalem
b) Nazareth
c) Bethlehem
d) none of the above
12. What animals were present at Jesus’ birth?
a) cows, sheep and camels
b) cows, sheep and donkeys
c) lions and tigers and bears
d) who knows?
13. What is a manger anyway?
a) a barn
b) a place for hay
c) a feeding trough
d) a Bible term for the church nursery
14. When did baby Jesus cry?
a) when he opened the wise men’s gifts
b) whenever babies usually cried
c) when the cattle started lowing
d) “no crying he makes”
15. Who saw the star over Bethlehem?
a) Mary and Joseph
b) shepherds
c) three kings
d) none of the above
16. What in the world are Magi?
a) Eastern kings
b) bankers
c) astrologers and scholars
d) school teachers
17. When the wise men brought their gifts to Jesus, they found him in:
a) a manger
b) a house
c) at Spring Camp
d) none of the above
18. What sign were the shepherds to look for?
a) a star over the stable
b) a barn outlined with Christmas lights
c) a baby in a manger
d) both a and c
19. What did the innkeeper say to Mary and Joseph?
a) “I have a stable out back”
b) “Come back after the holidays”
c) “There’s no room in the inn”
d) none of the above
20. In what books of the Bible will you find these fascinating facts?
a) Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
b) Matthew and Luke
c) Mark and Matthew
d) Matthew, Mark and Luke
1) d – the Bible gives no record of their means of travel
2) c – see Matthew 1:18
3) d – see Matthew 1:19; Luke 1:39, 56
4) d – December 25 was selected late in the fourth century as a day to celebrate Christ’s birth
5) see Matthew 2:11. The Bible doesn’t say how many – only that Magi came bringing gold, frankincense and myrrh
6) c – see Luke 2:1
7) c
8) c – see Luke 2:10
9) d – see Luke 2:13. They didn’t sing they spoke. Okay, if you picked c, we’ll give you a point!
10) d – see Luke 2:7. We aren’t told where Jesus was born, only that after his birth he was laid in a manger
11) c – see Luke 2:4
12) d – the Bible doesn’t say anything about animals being present
13) c – a trough or an open box in which feed for livestock is placed
14) b – he was fully human as well as fully God
15) d – three kings are not mentioned in the Bible, only in songs
16) c – a constitutional council of scholars and astronomers pivotal in electing and advising Parthian kings (read this fascinating Kōrero article about the Magi!)
17) b – see Matthew 2:11
18) c – see Luke 2:12
19) d – an innkeeper is never mentioned in the Scriptures
20) b – check it out!
Over the past few days I have been pondering my lack of Biblical knowledge of the Christmas story. I got eight questions wrong because my knowledge was informed not by the Bible but by the worldly stories around Christmas. Things I thought were Biblical facts were actually bits people have added to the Christmas narrative over the centuries.
I’ve been challenged to return to the habit of reading my Bible daily. I am going to start by reading the Christmas story again reflecting on what it says and not what I think I know. I would also challenge you to read the Christmas story as presented in the Bible and check out what in your mind is fact or fiction.
Check out other articles in the
series below.
More articles in the
series are to come.
