The OG Christmas Minutiae Test

An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge (Proverbs 18:15, ESV).

Merry Christmas! Thank you for spending a few minutes with Interruptions on Christmas Day — it’s an honor to have you here. I hope you had a blessed Christmas Eve service last night, and along with a great sermon, singing “O Holy Night,” and candlelighting, realized anew that God loves you.

Now to the point. Below is the “OG Christmas Minutiae Test.” Before your brain gets addled by drinking too much eggnog, see if you can get all seven questions correct. If you reread the previous 17 Interruptions, you will find some of the answers!!

Please note: I try to trick you on some of these, so pick the best answer.

1. How do we know that Jesus was a historical figure?
   1. By the Gospel writer’s testimony, other historians who mention Him, and the impact He has had on lives.
   2. All the scholars agree he existed.
   3. The Holy Spirit within me says so.
2. At the time of Jesus’s birth …
   1. The Jews were syncretistic with religion.
   2. The Jews stopped worshipping idols and other religions after returning from the Babylonian captivity.
   3. The Jews were eagerly anticipating Jesus as their Messiah.
3. Nazareth was …
   1. A large village northeast of the Sea of Galilee
   2. A small village of fifty houses south of the Sea of Galilee
   3. A small village of 400, where some believe they have found the childhood home of Jesus.
4. Quirinius should be pronounced like this when reading the Christmas story:
   1. Corn-i-tus
   2. Quasimodo
   3. Ker-win-e-us
5. What is the difference between the descriptions of Jesus’s birth in the Gospel of Luke and the Gospel of John?
   1. There is no difference.
   2. Luke wrote what the shepherds saw, and John wrote what the heavenly hosts saw.
   3. John used the word “logos,” and Luke used the word “incarnation.”
6. What is the significance of Bethlehem?
   1. The inspiration for the song “O Little Town of Bethlehem.”
   2. A small village south of Jerusalem.
   3. The prophesied place of Jesus’s birth (Micah 5:1).
7. Is December 25^th the best day to celebrate the birth of Christ?
   1. Yes, because the 25^th has been celebrated for centuries.
   2. Yes, because there is evidence that Jesus was born on December 25^th.
   3. Yes, because the 25^th had been celebrated for centuries, and there is historical evidence that Jesus was born on December 25^th

Great, how did you do?  Answers: 1. a; 2. b; 3. c; 4. c; 5. b; 6. c; and 7. c.

Notes:

• Never trust the statement “all scholars agree,” as it can’t be true, and it’s almost like saying that all cats get along with one another.
• After the Babylonian captivity, the Jews didn’t get mad and turn against God; they never worshipped idols again.
• This question was asked in the New Testament, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46), and the answer is “Yes!”
• If you can correctly pronounce Quirinius, those listening to you reading the Luke 2 Christmas Story will think that you are both a scholar and a reader of Interruptions.
• The word “incarnation” is a theological term used to describe “the word became flesh,” but “incarnation” isn’t found in the Bible.
• All three answers for Bethlehem are correct, but “c” is the best answer.
• Remarkable how God gives us small indicators of His providential work in history, with actual (though not absolute) evidence that December 25th – today – is the very day that Jesus was born.

Blessings today, everyone. Ho! Ho! Ho! I hope you were nice and not naughty this past year.