Christian Trivia Question #21 - A Not So Wise Account

 We just passed through "the 12 Days of Christmas" (the days between Christmas and the day traditionally celebrating the visit of the "Wise Men" to Jesus).  Long before the song identified the "12th day of Christmas" as the day "my true love" presented 12 drummers drumming, Christians were remembering and celebrating the occasion when the Wise Men traveled to Bethlehem to worship Jesus (aka Epiphany).

Here is one account of that visit:

“On the night of Jesus’ birth, 3 wise men from the west came to honor the newborn king in the manger.  One brought gold (symbolizing royalty), one brought frankinsense (used for embalming – prefiguring his death and burial), and one brought myrrh (an incense used in worship).  

After learning the location of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph from the 3 kings, King Herod ordered the killing of all boys who had been born in Israel that year to assure that this prophesied infant King would not take his throne.”

But that account has numerous errors.  

How many errors can you find in this account?  Name them.

(Hint: There are no errors in Matthew 2:1-23) 

Christian Trivia Question #20 - Who said it first?

 Happy New Year everybody!   

When someone experiences a long-awaited, significant event, you might hear them say, 

"Now I can die in peace!"  

That is a common sign held up by sports fans of a team that finally wins a championship.  (An elderly NY Ranger fan did it back in 1994 at Madison Square Garden when the Rangers won the Stanley Cup after a 54 yr drought.)

The phrase was not originally uttered by a sports fan.  And it was long before the great sport of hockey was ever played.  

Who said it when they saw Jesus?

(Hint:  It was spoken very early in Jesus' life.)

Christian Trivia Question #19 - The Challenge

Rather than end the year with a trivia question, let’s give ourselves a challenge.  

This is good for two reasons:  1)  There are no wrong answers.  2)  The challenge will almost certainly improve some area(s) of our lives, to some degree, for some period of time.  And that’s always a good thing.

So here’s the challenge going into 2021:

    Think about 3 areas of your life that can use an upgrade.  

Here are the challenge rules (they are very easy):

1.    These are confidential.  Write them down somewhere private. (You can share if you want, or you can call them Challenge #1, #2, and #3 if you prefer.  "I'm doing well with challenge #3, but #1 is tough.")
2.        You can report your progress…..or not.  Sometimes it is helpful to share your successes/fallbacks with others.
3.        There are only self-imposed due dates.  Set your own timeline and metrics to measure your success.
4.        Try to pick diverse areas (e.g. your faith, your finances, behavior, good / bad habits, education, time management, health, your relationships, etc).
5.        Pick a difficult, medium, and easy area.
6.        If you don’t feel like doing it……don’t!

There is no reporting periodicity.  You can comment on this thread if you want to let us know how you’re doing…..or not.  It's proven that any level of accountability is helpful to achieving a goal.

That’s it.  Here’s to a better year for all of us!

 

Christian Trivia Question #18 - Parables Part 2

Of Jesus' many parables recorded in Scripture, only one contains the name of one of the characters.  

Which parable is it, and who is the person named?  

Christian Trivia Question #17 - First Words

Happy Easter Everyone!  He is risen!

This question is about arguably one of the happiest moments of the Apostles' lives.  After Jesus rose from the dead on Easter morning, Mary Magdeline was the first to see the empty tomb.

Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.

Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.            John 20:1-2

But Peter and John did not see Jesus at that time.  Later that first Easter Sunday, Jesus appeared to the Apostles when they were gathered together praying.

What were Jesus' first words to the Apostles after He rose from the dead?

Christian Trivia Question #16 - The Empty Tomb

According to the Gospels, who was the 2nd named person to see the empty tomb on the first Easter?

Happy Easter!

Christian Trivia Question #15 - Almost Easter

Today begins a special period on the Christian calendar.  It marks 3 days that lead up to Easter Sunday - the pinnacle of our faith.  

Thursday:  The day Jesus gathered His disciples for the final time after 3 years of teaching and revealing God's will for all people.  This night Jesus would transform the Passover into the New Covenant in His Body and Blood.  He instructed them to "Do this in remembrance of Me." After the Last Supper, they went to the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus asked them to pray.  Judas betrayed Him and His "trial" before the Jewish High Priest and authorities was underway. 

Good Friday:  Eventually, as the morning dawned, the Roman authority in Jerusalem (Pontius Pilot) acquiesced to the Jewish leaders' demand to crucify Him. He would offer Himself to the Father on the cross - the perfect sacrifice - as the final atonement for the sin of all mankind.  Our collective sin against God's perfection could only be atoned by a sacrifice of infinite value - His perfect life - which he willingly gave on our behalf. He was taken down before sundown and placed in a tomb provided by Joseph of Arimathea.  

Saturday:  A day that must have been a very sad and confusing day for His disciples. Peter says Jesus "went and preached to the spirits in prison" (those souls who had died in God's friendship awaiting their redemption in "the abode of the dead" or "Abraham's bosom" like Lazarus in the parable of the rich man). Creation was silent until the early morning light would change everything.

These 3 days solemn days leading up to the glorious day of Christ's Resurrection on Easter Sunday have been known by a Latin word for many centuries. 

So the question is.........What are these 3 days called?