Christmas

Lesson w/AnswersA Christmas I.Q. Quiz

One of the members of my Bible Study class received this little Christmas quiz in one of the daily devotional emails that she subscribed to. As it turns out, the original version of "The Christmas IQ Test" was crafted by Regina L. Hunter, copyright 1993.

Bible

How well do you know the Christmas Story? Most of us have seen so many Christmas dramas and musicals over the years that sometimes we mix Biblical truth with "dramatic license". Take the test. See how well you do. Then you can test your friends at work or church.

Test your Biblical knowledge with this adaptation of "The Christmas IQ Test".

  1. Joseph was originally from... (Luke 2:3)
    1. ANSWER: Bethlehem - He worked and lived in Nazareth, but he was returning to Bethlehem - "his own city" (See Luke 2:3).
    2. Nazareth
    3. Hebron
    4. Jerusalem
    5. None of the above
  2. What does the Bible say that the Innkeeper said to Mary and Joseph? (Luke 2:7)
    1. "There is no room in the inn."
    2. "I have a stable you can use."
    3. "Come back later and I should have some vacancies."
    4. Both A and B
    5. ANSWER: None of the above - The innkeeper didn't "say" anything (See Luke 2:7)
  3. A manger is a...
    1. Stable for domestic animals
    2. Wooden hay storage bin
    3. ANSWER: Feeding trough - Interestingly enough, most mangers in New Testament times were made of stone. If you visit Israel today, you can see stone mangers used by Solomon to feed his horses at Megiddo.
    4. Barn
  4. Which animals does the Bible say were present at Jesus’ birth?
    1. Cows, sheep, goats
    2. Cows, Donkeys, goats
    3. Sheep and goats only
    4. Miscellaneous barnyard animals
    5. ANSWER: None of the above - The Bible doesn’t say, we just "assume" that since Jesus was born in a stable that there were various barnyard animals present.
  5. Who saw the star in the east?
    1. Shepherds
    2. Mary and Joseph
    3. Three Kings
    4. Both A and C
    5. ANSWER: None of the above - 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 (see answer 15).
  6. According to the Bible, how did Mary and Joseph get to Bethlehem?
    1. Camel
    2. Donkey
    3. Walked
    4. Joseph walked; Mary rode a donkey
    5. Horse-drawn chariot
    6. ANSWER: Who knows?! - Although the modern "pictures" in my Children’s Bible show Mary on a donkey with Joseph beside her, the Bible doesn't say!
  7. How many angels spoke to the shepherds? (Luke 2:10)
    1. ANSWER: One - see Luke 2:10
    2. Three
    3. Multitude
    4. None of the above
  8. What did the angels say/sing? (Luke 2:14)
    1. ANSWER: "Glory to God in the highest, etc." - see Luke 2:14
    2. "Alleluia"
    3. "Unto us a child is born, Unto us a son is given"
    4. "Joy the world, the Lord is come"
    5. "Glory to the newborn King"
  9. What is a heavenly host?
    1. The angel at the gate of heaven
    2. The angel who serves refreshments in heaven
    3. An angel choir
    4. ANSWER: An angel army - The word 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"!
    5. None of the above
  10. There was snow that first Christmas...
    1. Only in Bethlehem
    2. All over Israel
    3. Nowhere in Israel
    4. ANSWER: Somewhere in Israel - Another trick question. There is always snow on Mt. Hermon.
  11. What is Frankincense?
    1. A precious metal
    2. A precious fabric
    3. ANSWER: A precious perfume
    4. None of the above
  12. In Matthew, what does "wise men" or "Magi" refer to?
    1. Men of the educated class
    2. Eastern Kings
    3. ANSWER: Astronomers - The word "Magi" literally means "star-gazers". Although there is no Biblical record of exactly who they were or their point of origin, I personally believe that they were descendants of the "wise men" of Babylon. I believe that God, in His great providence, used Daniel (while he was in captivity in Babylon), to teach these men about future events - including the birth of the Savior of the world. Read Daniel 5:11 - Daniel was put in charge of these men!
    4. Sages
  13. What is Myrrh?
    1. Middle Eastern Money
    2. A drink
    3. An easily shaped metal
    4. ANSWER: A spice used for burying people - Herod was buried with over 150 lbs. of Myrrh wrapped in his burial clothes.
    5. None of the above
  14. How many wise men came to see Jesus?
    1. 3
    2. 10-12
    3. 40
    4. ANSWER: Who knows?! - They were magi, not wise men - but 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 for protection.
  15. Where did the wise men find Jesus? (Matthew 2:11)
    1. In a manger
    2. In a stable
    3. In Nazareth
    4. In Saudi Arabia
    5. ANSWER: In a house - Read Matthew 2:11 (see next answer)
    6. None of the above
  16. When the wise men found Jesus he was... (Matthew 2:11)
    1. A babe wrapped in swaddling clothes
    2. ANSWER: A young child - Read Matthew 2:11. When the Shepherds found Jesus (Luke 2), 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, 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 12-24 months old.
    3. A boy in the temple
    4. A grown man
  17. The "star in the east" that the wise men followed... (Matthew 2:9)
    1. Stayed in the same place their entire journey
    2. Disappeared and reappeared
    3. ANSWER: Moved ahead of them and stopped over the place where Jesus was - Read Matthew 2:9. Most people miss this question. The star did not stay stationary over the manger or 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".
    4. Was just a mirage
    5. None of the above
  18. The wise men stopped in Jerusalem... (Matthew 2:2)
    1. To inform Herod about Jesus
    2. ANSWER: To find out where Jesus was - Read Matthew 2:2
    3. To ask about the star
    4. To buy presents
    5. None of the above
  19. Where do we find the Christmas story?
    1. Matthew
    2. Mark
    3. Luke
    4. John
    5. All of the above
    6. Only A and B
    7. ANSWER: Only A and C - 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 taxation) and the "magi" - men of means from a foreign country. Luke, a physician, records the pregnancy and birth.
    8. Only A, B, and C
  20. When Joseph found Mary was pregnant, what happened?
    1. They got married
    2. Joseph wanted to break the engagement
    3. Mary left town for three months
    4. A and B
    5. ANSWER: B and C - Joseph wants to "put her away" secretly and Mary left town to see her cousin Elizabeth. Matthew 1:19 and Luke 1:39, 56.
  21. Who told (made) Mary and Joseph go to Bethlehem? (Luke 2:1-5)
    1. The angel chorus
    2. Mary’s mother
    3. Herod
    4. The shepherds
    5. ANSWER: Caesar Augustus- "There went out a decree from Caesar Augustus... everyone into his own city... " (Luke 2:1-5)

I hope that you enjoyed this little educational diversion.

In Christ,

Wes

[2008]

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