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“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)



How well do you know the Christmas story? The real one, in the Bible?



Let’s push aside the tinsel, carol lyrics, manger scenes, and angel tree-toppers for a moment to focus on the facts. Here’s a little quiz to help you, along with point scoring, if you want to get competitive. Warning…some of these are “trick” questions!



1) What year was Jesus born?



2) How many years had it been since the last prophet spoke about the Messiah, and who was the prophet?



3) Who told Mary the good news? What was his job, and who were others he had visited? 



4) To whom did Mary go after learning about her impending motherhood, and how long did she stay? 



5) What was the family relationship between John the Baptist and Jesus? How much older was John the Baptist?



6) Where was Joseph’s ancestral hometown? Who told Joseph and Mary to go there?



<figure><a href="https://lightbournec.files.wordpress.com/2021/09/img_4186.jpeg"><img data-attachment-id="1397" data-permalink="https://lightbournecreative.com/2021/09/06/the-privileged-life-the-redemption-of-brokenness/img_4186/" data-orig-file="https://lightbournec.files.wordpress.com/2021/09/img_4186.jpeg" data-orig-size="3080,2053" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&#34;aperture&#34;:&#34;2.2&#34;,&#34;credit&#34;:&#34;&#34;,&#34;camera&#34;:&#34;iPhone 6&#34;,&#34;caption&#34;:&#34;&#34;,&#34;created_timestamp&#34;:&#34;1488707566&#34;,&#34;copyright&#34;:&#34;&#34;,&#34;focal_length&#34;:&#34;4.15&#34;,&#34;iso&#34;:&#34;32&#34;,&#34;shutter_speed&#34;:&#34;0.016666666666667&#34;,&#34;title&#34;:&#34;&#34;,&#34;orientation&#34;:&#34;1&#34;}" data-image-title="IMG_4186" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://lightbournec.files.wordpress.com/2021/09/img_4186.jpeg?w=300" data-large-file="https://lightbournec.files.wordpress.com/2021/09/img_4186.jpeg?w=1024" width="1024" height="682" src="https://lightbournec.files.wordpress.com/2021/09/img_4186.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" srcset="https://lightbournec.files.wordpress.com/2021/09/img_4186.jpeg?w=1024 1024w, https://lightbournec.files.wordpress.com/2021/09/img_4186.jpeg?w=2046 2046w, https://lightbournec.files.wordpress.com/2021/09/img_4186.jpeg?w=150 150w, https://lightbournec.files.wordpress.com/2021/09/img_4186.jpeg?w=300 300w, https://lightbournec.files.wordpress.com/2021/09/img_4186.jpeg?w=768 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px"/></a><figcaption>A brilliant stained-glass window by artisan D. Maitland Armstrong in Faith Chapel, Jekyll Island, Georgia</figcaption></figure>



7) What did the innkeeper tell Mary and Joseph? Where was Jesus delivered? 



8) How many angels spoke to the shepherds?



9) What did the angels sing? What is a “heavenly host”?



10) Who saw the star in the east? How many of them came to see Jesus? What did they do for a living? 



11) What is myrrh? What was it used for?



12) How old was baby Jesus when visitors looking for the star came looking for Him? Where did they find Him? Where did Joseph and Mary take Him afterward?



Before you look below to find the answers, think for a moment about the details of this pivotal event in the accounts found in Matthew and Luke. Prophets had provided lots of clues in the Old Testament about the Messiah, and yet people were still incredulous when Jesus finally appeared as a tiny baby—born not in a princely mansion but to a poor couple in humble surroundings. 



Over the centuries, the story of Christmas has been embellished with lots of traditions and legends. Sorry—there were no Christmas trees, bells, crowns, born to became our Savior had to endure the weakness and poverty of our humanity, the grittiness of our fallen world, and eventually the suffering of a horrific death. Not exactly Hallmark-greeting-card imagery.



Do we really accept the truth about Jesus? Can we believe the biblical accounts, or do we chalk them up as myths—something consigned to the backdrop of Christmas revelry?



The virgin birth of Christ, of the Holy Spirit, is essential to our Christian faith. Upon it hinges the deity and humanity of Jesus Christ and, ultimately, the salvation of our souls. Through His birth in Bethlehem and His sacrifice on the cross, we have pardon for our sins through a God/Brother who loves us deeply.



Jesus, as viewed by His good friend John, was a flesh-and-blood man yet full of God’s glory, grace, and truth. My prayer this season is that you and I will see Him this way—in truth that defies all of the Christmas glitter. May we truly worship Him this season as He is—Immanuel, God with us.



Jesus, I long to know You better…to worship You in spirit and in truth…to have joy in Your presence this season. Please help me carve out time to study Your word, to learn more about Your personal story and Your promises of hope. Grant me Your boldness and compassion to share Your good news with others around me this Christmas. In Your blessed name, Amen.



Answers:



1) What year was Jesus born? There is no certain date, but it could have been from B.C. 5 or 4 to A.D. 1 or 2 (2 points). If you said 0 A.D., you get no points because there’s no such thing.



2) How many years had it been since the last prophet spoke about the Messiah, and who was the prophet? There were 400 years (1 point) between the last prophecy and the Gospels; Malachi (1 point) was the last prophet.



3) Who told Mary the good news? What was his job, and who were others he had visited?  The angel Gabriel (1 point) visited Mary. He is designated as a messenger angel who stands in the presence of the Lord (1 point). He visited Zechariah, also known as Zacharias, the husband of Elizabeth (1 point) and the prophet Daniel (2 points). The angel who visited Joseph in dreams is not named.



4) To whom did Mary go after learning about her impending motherhood, and how long did she stay? She visited her cousin Elizabeth (1 point) and stayed about three months (1 point).



5) What was the family relationship between John the Baptist and Jesus? How much older was John the Baptist? John the Baptist was the son of Elizabeth and Zechariah, which made him Jesus’ cousin (1 point) – but it’s unknown as to what cousin relationship such as 2nd, 3rd, once-removed, etc. John was around six months older (1 point).



6) Where was Joseph’s ancestral hometown? Who told Joseph and Mary to go there? Bethlehem (1 point) was the ancestral home of Joseph’s family and King David. Caesar Augustus (1 point) required that Joseph and Mary go there for the census.



7) What did the innkeeper tell Mary and Joseph? Where was Jesus delivered?There is no mention of an innkeeper (2 points for this answer). There is no mention of where (2 points for this answer), such as a stable —just that he was “laid in a manger” which is a feeding trough for animals.



8) How many angels spoke to the shepherds? Only one spoke directly to the shepherds (1 point); that angel was joined by a “vast multitude” of other angels praising God…a countless number (1 point).



9) What did the angels sing? What is a “heavenly host”? “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men” or whatever your favorite Bible version says (1 point). However, they didn’t sing it—they said it or shouted it (2 points). The words “heavenly host” refer to an “army” of angels (1 point).    



10) Who saw the star in the east? How many of them came to see Jesus? What did they do for a living? They were wise men, highly educated men, or magi (1 point — no points for “kings”). There is no mention in the Bible of how many—more than one (2 points…no points for saying there were three). They were specialists in astrology, medicine, natural science, religion (1 point).



11) What is myrrh? What was it used for? It’s a fragrant perfume (1 point) made from the sap of a thorny tree and used for medicine/embalming/burial (2 points)…foreshadowing that Christ would die for us.



12) How old was baby Jesus when visitors looking for the star came looking for Him? Where did they find Him? Where did Joseph and Mary take Him afterward? He was up to two years old (1 point) and living in a house in Bethlehem (1 point). Joseph was warned by an angel in a dream to flee with Jesus and Mary to Egypt (1 point).



Scoring:



25-35—Count yourself well-informed on the Bible record! Share your wealth of knowledge about Jesus with others in joy!



15-25—You know more than most folks observing Christmas around you. Look for ways to share Christ’s love and compassion with them.



Fewer than 15—Go back and read Luke 1-2 as well as Matthew 1-2, to refresh your understanding of Jesus’ arrival. Look for His presence with you as you celebrate His birth!



© Copyright 2023 Nancy C. Williams, Lightbourne Creative (text and photography) Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved. #Christmasstory #truthaboutChristmas #BiblestoryofChristmas #nativitystory #Christmasquiz #Christmasgame
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