A Christmas Quiz: How much of what we know is really just tradition?

We’ve all seen and heard the Christmas story so many times that we know exactly what

God's Word says about it, right? Or do we sometimes let tradition overtake the truth?

How well you know the true story of Christmas?
You just might be surprised!

 

(Answers appear when you hover over the star following each question... but NO FAIR PEEKING!

Answers are also given at the end of the questions)

Dates and Mates

1. True or False:  Jesus' ancestors include a prostitute, an adulterer, a woman who committed incest and a non-Israelite.

2. Joseph’s family was from

a) Jerusalem
b) Nazareth
c) Bethlehem
d) none of the above

3.  The name of the mother of Jesus was:

a) Martha

b) Mary

c) Eve

d) Deborah

4.  Joseph was a:

a) Carpenter

b) Doctor

c) Engineer

d) Fisherman

5. True or False:  There are no records of Joseph speaking in the Christmas Story. 

6.  When Mary became pregnant, Mary and Joseph were

a) married
b) just friends
c) engaged
d) none of the above

7.  When Mary became pregnant,

a) Joseph married her
b) Joseph wanted to dissolve their relationship
c) Mary left Nazareth for a while
d) an angel told them to go to Bethlehem
e) both b and c
f) both b and d

8. True or False:  The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary first and then he appeared to Joseph.
 

9. When Joseph discovered that Mary was expecting a child,

a) he was very happy
b) he asked for a divorce
c) he contemplated getting a divorce
d) he brooded over it until he fell asleep

10. True or False: Joseph married Mary immediately after the angel appeared to him.

11. Before Jesus was born,

a) Joseph left Mary
b) Mary left Joseph
c) Joseph and Mary led a normal married life
d) Joseph built a crib

12. Both Joseph and Mary were told that the baby was to be named "Jesus."

13.  Jesus was born in what town?

a) Jerusalem

b) Nazareth

c) Bethlehem

d) New York

14.  For the journey to Bethlehem, Mary and Joseph

a) walked
b) Joseph walked; Mary rode a donkey
c) rode camels
d) Who knows?

Kings and Wings
 

15.  Who directed Mary and Joseph to go to Bethlehem?

a) Herod
b) an angel
c) Caesar Augustus
d) No one told them to go.

16.  How many angels spoke to the shepherds?

a) a multitude
b) two - Gabriel and Michael
c) one
d) Who knows?

17.  Just what is a “heavenly host”?

a) an angelic choir
b) the welcoming angel in heaven
c) an army of angels
d) none of the above

18.  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 these

19.  The child Jesus went to Egypt:

a) to meet pharaoh

b) because Joseph was told in a dream to take him

d) Joseph did not take Jesus to Egypt

d) none of the above

Barns and Yarns

20.  The baby Jesus was born in a

a) cave
b) manger
c) hurry
d) barn
e) Who knows?

21.  What animals were present at Jesus’ birth?

a) cows, sheep and camels
b) Donkey and ox
c) cows, sheep and donkeys
d) none of the above

22. What is a manger anyway?

a) a barn
b) a place for hay
c) a feeding trough
d) a Greek term for the church nursery

23. 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”

24. Why didn’t Joseph and Mary stay at the inn?

a) It was too expensive

b) There was no inn

c) There was no room

d) none of the above

25. The innkeeper

a) sent Joseph and Mary away because they were Jews
b) was angry because they woke him from a sound sleep
c) offered them a place in the stall
d) none of the above

26. According to the Bible, the little drummer boy met Jesus:

a) when Jesus was in the manger

b) at a house

c) when Jesus was about two years old

d) none of the above

27. When was Jesus baptized?

a.) shortly after his birth
b) on his first birthday
c) as a young lad of twelve
d) a few years before his death

Signs and Lines

28. True or False:  Shepherding was considered a very noble occupation.

 

29. What did the shepherds in the field see?

a) an Army
b) a choir
c) a star
d) 3 Kings

30. True or False: God sent a choir of cherub angels to announce Jesus' birth.

 

31.  What sign were the shepherds to look for?

a) a star over the stable
b) a star over Bethlehem
c) a baby in a manger
d) both a and c
e) none of the above

32.  Some of the shepherds doubted and refused to believe the message they heard from the angels.
 

33.  Who saw the star over Bethlehem?

a) Mary and Joseph
b) shepherds
c) the three kings
d) both b and c
e) none of the above

34.  True or False: The star did not appear above the manger.

 

Wise Guys and Testing Lies
 

35.  How many wise men came to see Jesus?  ____    (Write in correct number)

36. True or False: The wise men were three kings from the Orient.
 

37.  What in the world are Magi?

a) Eastern kings
b) magicians
c) astrologers
d) wise enough to follow the star
e) none of the above

38. True or False: The wise men followed the star as it moved from their eastern land to Israel.

 

39. True or False: The wise men did not arrive on the night of Jesus' birth.
 

40. True or False: The wise men found Jesus lying in a manger in the town of Bethlehem.

 

41. The wise men met Jesus in a:

a) manger

b) castle

c) stable

d) house

42. What is frankincense?

a) a form of gold

b) an incense from the sap of a tree

c) a jewel

d) none of the above.

43.  What is myrrh?

a) a musical instrument

b) a spice used for burial

c) a valuable wine

d) none of the above

44. True or False: When Herod heard about Jesus he was the only one concerned about this new king.

45.  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

46.  Which book of the Bible has the most to say about Christ's advent?

a) Revelation
b) Matthew
c) Luke
d) Isaiah

Scoring

Dates and Mates

1. True. Rahab was a prostitute, David and Uriah's wife were adulterers, Tamar and Judah committed incest and Ruth was from Moab. (Matthew 1:3,5,6.)

2.  c) Bethlehem - Luke 2:4

3. b) Mary -  Matthew 1:18  “18  This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.”

4. c) Carpenter - Matthew 13:55 “Isn't this the carpenter's son? Isn't his mother's name Mary? ”

5. True. Unless he was totally speechless, he must have said something, but there are absolutely no records of him speaking at all.

6. c) engaged - Matthew 1:18

7. e) both b and c  Matthew 1:19; Luke 1:39, 56

8. Trick question!  Mary was first, but we don't know the name of the angel who appeared to Joseph (Matthew 1:20) Maybe it was Harold, as in, "Hark the Harold Angel Sings."

9. d) he brooded over it until he fell asleep - Joseph was not at all happy about Mary's pregnancy. He contemplated "putting her away" (breaking their engagement) but since they were not yet married, he could not have gotten a divorce. According to Matthew 1:18-20, Joseph brooded about the situation until he fell asleep and an angel appeared in a dream.

10. True.  Joseph’s obedience was quick, cheerful and complete.  (Matthew 1:24)

11. b) Mary left Joseph - According to Matthew 1:25, they did not lead a normal married life until after the birth of Christ. Mary left Joseph when she made an extended visit with her cousin Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist (Luke 1:39 and 56).

12. True.  See Matthew 1:21 and Luke 1:31.  Babies were always named by their father.  God the Father gives Jesus his name.

13.  c) Bethlehem - Matthew 2:1  “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, . . .”

14.  d) Who knows? The Bible gives no record of their means of travel. Some suppose that she rode something since she was so far along in her pregnancy.

Kings and Wings
 

15. c) Caesar Augustus - Luke 2: 1-4:  "And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. 2  (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) 3  And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. 4  And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David)"

16. c) one - Luke 2:10 (“the angel said to them”)

17. c) an army of angels

18. d) none of these – (Luke 2:13 - They didn’t sing; they said.)  OK, if you picked c we’ll give you a point.  Luke 2:14  "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."  Most of these other songs were written long after Christ died.

19. b)  because Joseph was told in a dream to take him - Matthew 2:13  "And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him."

Barns and Yarns

20. e) Who knows?  Luke 2:7 (We aren’t told where Jesus was born, only that after His birth He was laid in a manger.)

21.  d) none of the above - The Bible doesn’t say anything about animals being present.

22. c) a feeding trough - It comes from a Greek word that means "to eat".

23.  b) whenever babies usually cried - He was fully human as well as fully God.

24. c) there was no room - Luke 2:7  " . . . because there was no room for them in the inn."

25.  d) none of the above - The Bible mentions an inn, but not the innkeeper (Luke 2:6)!

26. d) none of the above -  The story of a drummer boy meeting Jesus is not in the Bible.

27. d) a few years before his death - Jesus was baptized by John about three years before his crucifixion.

Signs and Lines

28.  False - In the first century B.C. shepherding was on a par with garbage collecting. Shepherds were unable to remain ritually pure according to Pharisaic laws and so were considered unclean. Yet God chose them for His birth announcement.

29. a) an army - The shepherds first saw a solitary angel, who was soon joined by a heavenly host (army), which praised God. Nowhere in the Bible is there a reference to angels singing, although Revelation 8 speaks of them blowing trumpets. The NIV mentions angels singing in Rev.5:12, but the Greek word is "lego", which means speaking.

30. False - Actually God sent an army of warrior angels. It's all in Luke 2:13. 'Company' and 'Host' are military terms.

31. c) a baby in a manger - Luke 2:12  "And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger."

32. False - They were excited! They did not hesitate. They went to see the baby right away, they spread the word, and they praised God for what they had been permitted to see and hear. (Luke 2:15-20.)

33. e) none of the above (Three kings are not mentioned in the Bible.  Only in songs.)

34. True - It appeared above the house where Joseph's family was living (Matthew 2:9-11).

Wise Guys and Testing Lies

35.  The Bible doesn’t say how many – only that Magi came bringing gold, frankincense

and myrrh (see Matt. 2 :12). 17.  Some SUPPOSE that there were three since there were three gifts, but that is just a guess.  Matthew 2:1  "Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem."

36. False - Because there were three gifts, some reason that there were three visitors. It‘s just the song that says “We three kings of orient are.“   The Bible does not say that they were kings. This is an old tradition of the Church, which even gives them names and racial origins. The Bible describes them as Chaldean or Babylonian "magi". One root for this tradition can be found in Isaiah 49:7-12 and 60:3-6.   Matthew 2:1 “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem.”

37.  c) astrologers – or star gazers, who dabble in the natural sciences. Star Gazers. Star gazers could often navigate, predict the times for best planting, knew math, astronomy and calendar systems.  They were very important in agricultural societies.

38. False - The wise men saw the star in the east (Matthew 2:2), but it did not take them to Jerusalem. In Jerusalem they asked for directions, then when they were leaving Jerusalem, the star appeared again and led them to the house in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:9).

39. True - The wise men arrive some time after Jesus is born (Matthew 2:1). Jesus is called a child rather than a baby (Matthew 2:11). He may have been as old as two (Matthew 2:7,16).

40. False - Jesus was in a house by this time. (Matthew 2:11).

41. d) house - Matthew 2:11  "And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh."

42. b) an incense from a tree

43. b) a spice used for burial - John 19:39-40  "And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight  40 Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury"

44. False - All Jerusalem was disturbed by this news of a new king (Matthew 2:3).

45. b) Matthew and Luke -  Mark and John to not talk about the birth of Jesus. Check it out!

46. d) Isaiah - More is written about the coming of the Christ in the book of Isaiah than in all four gospels together.

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