Mary Joseph Baby Jesus
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Dr. Dale Taliaferro’s 38-question quiz concerning the Christmas story from a biblical perspective.

The quiz with questions and answers together can be found here.

1. Can you name the parents of Jesus?
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2. Where did Joseph and Mary live before they were married?
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3. What was the name of the angel who appeared to Mary?
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4. Where did Joseph and Mary live after their marriage?
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5. Where was Mary when the angel appeared to her?
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6. Whom did Mary visit immediately after Gabriel appeared to her?
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7. How far along in her pregnancy was Elizabeth when Gabriel appeared to Mary?
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8. How long did Mary stay with Elizabeth?
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9. Why didn’t Mary stay to celebrate the birth of John?
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10. How far along in her pregnancy was Mary when she broke the news to Joseph?
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11. Why were Joseph and Mary going to Bethlehem?
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12. Why did Mary accompany Joseph?
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13. What determined the city to which each Jew had to travel in order to be taxed?
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14. Who, then, would be in Bethlehem?
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15. How did they travel?
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16. Why couldn’t Joseph and Mary find space in the inn?
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17. Who were the first people to come to see Jesus according to Scripture?
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18. What chorus did the angels sing to the shepherds?
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19. What sign did the angels tell the shepherds to look for?
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20. What was the manger?
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21. In what way do the meaning of the Hebrew term for Bethlehem and the sign given by the angels prepare us for Jesus’ later ministry?
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22. What happened eight days after Jesus’ birth?
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23. What happened 32 days after Jesus’ circumcision (40 days after Jesus’ birth)?
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24. What are two reasons that Joseph and Mary took Jesus to Jerusalem?
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25. Where did Joseph and Mary go after the purification ceremony?
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26. What are magi?
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27. How many wise men came to see Jesus?
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28. How many gifts did the wise men bring and to whom did they present their gifts?
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29. What was curious about the star?
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30. How did Herod use the star?
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31. Where were Jesus, Mary, and Joseph when the wise men reached them?
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32. How old was Jesus at this time?
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33. In what year was Jesus born?
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34. How long was Jesus in Egypt with His parents?
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35. How did Joseph and Mary finance the trip to Egypt?
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36. Where was Jesus raised upon His return to Israel?
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37. How old was Jesus when He began His ministry?
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38. How old was Jesus when He died?
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Answers

1. a. Mary (Matt. 1:16; Luke 1:31, 2:6-7).
b. God (Luke 1:32, 35).
c. Joseph (by adoption) (Matt 1:16, 19-20, 24-25).
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2. a. Mary–In Nazareth (Luke 1:26-27).
b. Joseph–In Nazareth, presumably (Luke 2:4).
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3. Gabriel (Luke 1:26).
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4. Nazareth (Luke 2:4-5, 39).
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5. In Nazareth, inside some structure or building (Luke 1:26, 28).
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6. Elizabeth, her relative (Luke 1:36).
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7. Six months (Luke 1:26, 36).
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8. About three months (Luke 1:56).
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9. Probably fear of stoning, since she was pregnant and beginning to “show.”
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10. At least three months (Luke 1:38-39, 56).
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11. To be enrolled for the taxes (Luke 2:1-3).
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12. a. A practical reason (she was well along in her pregnancy).
b. A biblical-prophetical reason (Micah 5:2).
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13. Lineage. Joseph had to go to the city of David since he was of “the house and family of David.” (Luke 2:3-4).
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14. a. Joseph’s relatives—descendants of David (Luke 2:3-4).
b. Possibly Mary’s relatives also (Luke 3:31-32).
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15. Probably in a caravan (cf. Luke 10:30-37, esp. 30). The Scripture doesn’t say anything about their journey to Bethlehem.
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16. Probably because Joseph’s relatives rejected them and wouldn’t give up their space (Luke 2:5; cf. Luke 1:61, 2:5; John 8:41).
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17. Shepherds (Luke 2:8, 15-16).
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18. None. They said “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace among men of good will” (Luke 2:14).
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19. The baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger (Luke 2:12, 16-17).
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20. A feeding trough made of stone.
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21. a. Bethlehem means “house of bread,” which correlates with Jesus’ Bread of Life discourse (John 6:22-65).
b. Jesus was wrapped in swaddling clothes—the same kind of clothes He would be buried in (John 19:40).
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22. His circumcision (Luke 2:21).
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23. Mary’s ceremonial purification and Jesus’ redemption (Luke 2:22-24).
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24. a. To fulfill the Law—Jesus’ redemption and Mary’s purification (Luke 2:22-23).
b. To fulfill prophecy (the personal prophetic revelation given to Simeon) (Luke 2:25-32, esp. 26).
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25. Nazareth (Luke 2:39).
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26. Politically powerful scholars and astronomers (“king-makers”).
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27. Scripture does not say, but Augustine and Chrysostom say twelve. Another tradition names three: Melchior (Shem’s descendant), Caspar (Ham’s descendant), and Balthasar (Japheth’s descendant).
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28. At least one gift from each wise man. They presented the gifts—plural in number—to Jesus. Gold, frankincense, and myrrh designate appositionally the kinds of gifts, not the number (Matt. 2:1-2, 11).
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29. It was not constant (Matt. 2:2, 10).
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30. He calculated the age of the child by the length of time it had been appearing and reappearing (Matt 2:7, 16). The wise men did not discourage this thinking.
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31. a. In a house, not the stable (Matt 2:11).
b. In Nazareth. The impression given in Matthew 2 is that of a hurried, immediate escape for all (Luke 2:39). Thus there was no time to fulfill the law or the prophetic utterance (cf. no. 24).
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32. Two months to two years.
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33. Five or four B.C. (Herod died in March or April of 4 B.C.)
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34. From one month to over one year.
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35. Probably with the gifts of the magi.
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36. Nazareth (Matt 2:23).
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37. 33 to 34 years old (born 5 to 4 B.C., began ministry A.D. 29). Luke 3:23 tells us he was “about thirty”; the Greek indicates a rough (rather than close) estimate.
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38. 37 to 38 years old, depending on whether His ministry was three or four years in length.
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© 2001 Probe Ministries

Dr. Dale Taliaferro, formerly with Probe Ministries, earned both an M.Div. and M.Th., and received his D.Min. from Western Baptist Seminary in Portland, Oregon. In 2003 he founded Equipped for Life Ministries, offering six week/lesson seminars on the Christian life, weekly Bible studies, and a two-year training program in Bible and Theology. He and his wife Waunee reside in Dallas, Texas.

What is Probe?

Probe Ministries is a non-profit ministry whose mission is to assist the church in renewing the minds of believers with a Christian worldview and to equip the church to engage the world for Christ. Probe fulfills this mission through our Mind Games conferences for youth and adults, our 3-minute daily radio program, and our extensive Web site at www.probe.org.

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2 Comments
  1. Martha mwithiga 8 years ago

    These topics and especially the one on cult has really helped me,I have been wondering when I see some things happening in some churches but after going through this topic,I just feel our preachers need this more than else.people are cheated without knowing.may God lift this ministry to a higher level,I need these teaching near me.i wish you can bring these teachings to my country,I have a group of preachers who I feel can be changed by such a conference.be blessed.

  2. Sue Bohlin 7 years ago

    Thank you, Martha. We are so glad to be able to offer 1900+ resources to the church–and anyone else with internet access–worldwide!

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