I think it’s safe to say that one of the most celebrated days of the year in our country is Christmas. It is such a popular holiday that often those who are not of the Christian faith participate in the festivities. It is also safe to say that this day is widely celebrated around the world, even in cultures that are not Christian in culture or persuasion, such as Japan and China. They also call it “Christmas”.
Despite the widespread recognition of this holiday, Christians around the world lament how commercialized Christmas has become and how convoluted the reason and meaning are. We see signs hanging in department stores that say “remember the reason for the season”, but it seems that the author of this Christmas slogan had customer spending in mind rather than something spiritual.
There are a myriad of examples we could cite regarding the global commercialization of this sacred Christian holiday and the loss of festive understanding, but all too often Christians fall short in this theological field. As our Lord said, sometimes we need to remove the log from our own eye.
How much do you really know about Christmas? How much of what you think about Christmas is Bible and how much of the world? Could you pass the following quiz on this topic? Test your knowledge. There are no trick questions, but you may be surprised by some of the answers. Get 5 points for each correct answer. I’ll let you decide if you pass or not. The answers are at the end of the questionnaire.
1. Christmas (the day Jesus was born) probably actually occurred on:
A. December 25 c. April 1st
b. March 29 D. We don’t know
2. How many angels spoke to the shepherds?
A. 2 tbsp. 1
b. a crowd d. cannot be determined
3. Eating is:
A. a trough c. has stable
b. a barn d. a room behind an inn
4. Where was Joseph’s family from?
A. Bethlehem v. Jerusalem
b. Nazareth D. Galilee
5. How were the shepherds going to find and recognize the Lord?
A. following a star c. for looking for a baby in a manger
b. Asking at the Inn d. looking for the Magi
6. How many wise men came to see Jesus in the manger?
A. two c. three
b. the Bible does not say d. none
7. How did Joseph and Mary get to Bethlehem?
A. walked c. Joseph walked/Mary rode a donkey
b. by car d. the bible does not say
8. When it was discovered that Mary was pregnant, she and Joseph were:
A. married c. engaged
bd The Bible does not say
9. Who told José what to name the baby?
A. Maria c. God
b. an angel D. Jewish elders
10. Where did the wise men find Jesus?
A. In eating c. In the countryside
b. On a donkey with Maria d. In a house
11. Who saw the star over Bethlehem?
A. Jose and Maria v. The three Kings
b. The shepherds D. All
my. None of the above
12. The waiter told José:
A. There is no room c. You can use the stable in the back.
b. We do not allow children d. None of the above
13. Who told Joseph to go to Bethlehem?
A. an angel c. the tax collector
b. Herod D. Caesar
14. What does “heavenly host” mean?
A. an archangel c. an army of angels
b. greeting the angels d. an angelic choir or herald
15. What song did the heavenly host sing?
A. “Away in an Eat” c. “Glory to God in the highest”
b. “Joy to the World” d. they did not sing
16. What animals were present at the birth of Jesus?
A. cows and sheep v. cows, sheep and camels
b. cows, sheep and donkeys d. a stranger
17. What is the most accurate definition of “wizards”?
A. magicians c. astrologers
b. Wise men D. kings of the east
18. Why did Herod want to know when they found Jesus?
A. In order to worship him c. So that he could kill him
b. To be able to tell others d. None of the above
19. How long did the wizards’ journey last after they saw Herod?
A. two years c. a little less than two years
vs Less than 1 day d. None of the above
20. How many shepherds were in the field?
A. 3 tablespoons 6
b. 4d. we are not told
ANSWERS TO THE TEST
1. d 11. e (no mention of 3 kings – all the wise men saw the star)
2. c 12. d (no mention of the innkeeper)
3. to 13. d (see Luke 2:1-3)
4.a 14.c
5. c 15. d (we are told “a saying of the heavenly hosts”)
6. d* 16. d (the Bible does not say which animals were present)
7.d 17.c
8 c 18.c
9. b 19. c (Herod had all children under 2 years old killed)
10.d 20.d
*6 – the Bible says they saw the little boy in the house – they were not
present in the manger – and no mention is made of how many Wise Men
there were – we often assume there were three because there were three
gifts presented, but there were probably many, many more