I am keen to know how you got along with yesterday’s Christmas quiz! Here are the solutions as promised. The answers follow the same order as the questions. Grab a piece of paper and a pen, and let’s get cracking!
Answers
1. True. I’m sure he may have said something, but there is no record of him speaking in the gospel accounts.
2. False. The number of wise men (magi) is not mentioned. They were not kings.
3. False. What little drummer boy? There is no mention of a drummer boy in the Bible.
5. True. Rahab was a prostitute, David and Uriah’s wife were adulterers, Tamar & Judah committed incest, and Ruth was from Moab (Matthew 1:3, 5, 6).
6. False. They were both descended from Judah. See Matthew 1:1-16 for Joseph’s genealogy and Luke 3:23-38 for Mary’s. As it was not common practice to include women’s names in genealogies at the time, Luke begins Mary’s genealogy by saying he was “the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli…“. Heli being Mary’s father and Joseph’s by marriage (father-in-law). Matthew points out Joseph’s dad was called Jacob. Moreover, the angel Gabriel affirmed that Mary was of Judean descent when he announced that Jesus would sit on His ancestor David’s throne (Luke 1:32).
7. Trick question. Mary was first, but we don’t know the name of the angel who appeared to Joseph (Matthew 1:20). It might well have been Gabriel, seeing as he is often the messenger angel mentioned in Scripture, but it might well have been Harold – you know, “Hark the Harold angel sings“. The point is, we were not told.
8. False. A donkey does not appear anywhere in the Biblical account. Ask a heavily pregnant woman if she would like to ride a donkey?! She probably walked.
10. Apparently not. 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. When they left Jerusalem, the star reappeared and led them to the house in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:9).
11. True. The wise men arrived sometime after Jesus’ birth (Matthew 2:1). At that time, Jesus is referred to as a child rather than a baby (Matthew 2:11), and they were now living in a house (not the manger where Jesus was born – Luke 2:7). It is likely he may have been as old as two years since Herod ordered for two-year-olds and below to be murdered, upon learning from the wise men the specific time they saw the star announcing Jesus’ birth.
12. False. Actually, God sent an army of warrior angels. See Luke 2:13. “Company“ and “host” are military terms. Also, whenever angels appeared in human form in the Bible, they always took the form of mature males.
13. False. Shepherds could not remain ritually pure according to Pharisaic laws and were considered unclean in the first century B.C., Yet God chose them for His birth announcement. What all-inclusive grace!
14. Yes. See Matthew 1:20-21 and Luke 1:31. Babies were consistently named by their fathers in biblical times. God the Father gives Jesus His name.
15. False. All of Jerusalem was disturbed by this news of a new king (Matthew 2:3).
16. False. Jesus was in a house by this time (Matthew 2:11).
17. Correct. They were excited and wasted no time visiting the new king! (Luke 2:15-16).
18. Yes. His obedience was quick, cheerful, and complete (Matthew 1:24).
19. False. They went to see the baby immediately, spread the word, and praised God for what they had been permitted to see and hear. No doubt there at all (Luke 2:15-20).
20. Surprisingly true. Luke records, “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!‘“ No singing is mentioned.
Concluding remarks
I hope you found that both fun and educative! Did you get caught by any of the questions? For me, it was questions 8 and 20. My kids have been singing about the “Little donkey“ that carried Mary on their way to register in Bethlehem, and of course, the good old hymn, “Hark the herald angels sing“, played a big part.
In their book “Journey into God’s Word“, Duvall and Hayes point out how our preunderstanding (all our preconceived notions and understandings that we bring to the biblical text) can heavily influence our interpretation of Scripture. Two good examples lie in the idea of Mary travelling on a donkey or of the angels singing – both of which are ideas suggested by our culture (songs and movies, in this instance). Thus, even though Scripture never mentions a donkey, most of us fill in the blanks and picture Mary riding on a donkey to Bethlehem. Similarly, when we think of the first Christmas, we quickly picture a choir of cute angels with cute trumpets harmonising the words, “Glory to God in the highest“.
As we prepare for the New Year, you and I must resolve to consistently come to God’s word ready to submit our preunderstandings under God’s word rather than letting it stand over it. As we grapple with Scripture, we allow it to change and modify our preconceptions in light of the plain teaching of Scripture. Look out for a follow-up post where we delve deeper into this subject!
Pingback: WHAT TO BRING TO A BIBLE STUDY AND WHAT TO LEAVE BEHIND - TGN
Hehehe… Harold angel…
Thanks for the clarification. It’s sad that many people still mix up the facts. Thanks for sharing
These are very tricky and thought-provoking questions. They really suit the occasion, as they make one want to learn and read more of the christmas story to get abreast with every detail of it.
You’ve done a good job. God richly bless you.
Glad you liked it, Edna – Soli Deo Gloria!