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Christmas Trivia
1. Which angel told Mary she would give birth to the Son of God?
a. Michael
b. Gabriel
c. Clarence
d. The Bible doesn’t say
2. What was the nature of Mary and Joseph’s relationship when Mary became pregnant?
a. They were friends
b. They didn’t know each other
c. They were engaged
d. They were married
3. Who told Mary and Joseph to go to Bethlehem?
a. An angel
b. God in a dream
c. Caesar Augustus
d. Mary’s parents
4. What did the innkeeper say to Mary and Joseph?
a. “We have no room in the inn.”
b. “You can stay in our stable.”
c. “Try the Holiday Inn.”
d. The Bible doesn’t say
5. When did baby Jesus cry?
a. Whenever babies usually cry
b. When he opened the wise men’s gifts
c. He never cried
d. When the cattle started lowing
6. Who many wise men visited Jesus?
a. 4
b. 7
c. 3
d. Who knows?
7. Where did the wise men find Jesus?
a. In a house
b. In a cave
c. In a stable
d. In the temple
8. Where did Mary, Joseph, and Jesus live after they left Bethlehem?
a. Nazareth
b. Jerusalem
c. Rome
d. Egypt
9. Which one of the following statements did Jesus make?
a. “I came to bring peace.”
b. “I did not come to bring peace.”
c. “On earth peace, good will toward men.”
d. None of the above
10. Why was December 25th chosen as Christmas Day?
a. That’s when Jesus was born
b. To compete with a pagan celebration
c. That’s the day Santa chose
d. That’s when the Bible says to celebrate Christmas
Answers: 1-b, 2-c, 3-c, 4-d, 5-a, 6-d, 7-a, 8-d, 9-b, 10-b
There once was a king who was very wealthy. His power was known throughout the world. But he was unhappy, because he desired a wife. Without a queen, the vast palace was empty.
One day, while riding through the streets of a small village, he saw a beautiful peasant girl. She was so lovely that the heart of the king was won. He wanted her more than anything he had ever desired. On succeeding days, he would ride by her house on the mere hope of seeing her for a moment in passing.
He wondered how he might win her love. He thought, “I will draw up a royal decree and require her to be brought before me to become the queen of my land.” But, as he considered, he realized that she was a subject and would be forced to obey. He could never be certain that he had won her love.
Then, he said to himself, “I shall call on her in person. I will dress in my finest royal garb, wear by diamond rings, my silver sword, my shiny black boots, and my most colorful tunic. I will overwhelm her and sweep her off her feet to become my bride.” But, as he pondered the idea, he knew that he would always wonder whether she had married him only for the riches and power he could give her.
Then, he decided to dress as a peasant, drive to the town, and have his carriage let him off. In disguise, he would approach her house. But, somehow the duplicity of this plan did not appeal to him.
At last, he knew what he must do. He would shed his royal robes. He would go to the village and live among the peasants. He would work and suffer with them. He would actually become a peasant. This he did. And he won his wife.—Illustrations Unlimited, p. 303
The story of Christmas is much more amazing: God became a man.
“The claim that Christianity makes for Christmas is that at a particular time and place God came to be with us Himself. When Quirinius was governor of Syria, in a town called Bethlehem, a child was born who, beyond the power of anyone to account for, was the high and lofty One made low and helpless. The One who inhabits eternity comes to dwell in time. The One whom none can look upon and live is delivered in a stable under the soft, indifferent gaze of cattle. The Father of all mercies puts Himself at our mercy.”—Frederick Buechner (Illustrations Unlimited, p. 78)
John the Baptist—Not the Light
“There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John” (v. 6).
“John” = John the Baptist. Who was John the Baptist?
• Vital statistics: parents – Zechariah and Elizabeth; distant relative – Jesus; home – Judea; occupation – prophet (there had not been a prophet in Israel for 400 years).
• His coming was predicted in Isaiah 40:3: “A voice of one calling: ‘In the desert prepare the way for the LORD, make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God’” (cf. John 1:23).
• He is known for his unusual lifestyle. “John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey” (Matthew 3:4).
• Jesus said, “I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist” (Matthew 11:11).
• His purpose was to prepare people to receive Jesus, the Messiah (the Christ).
The ministry of John the Baptist (vv. 7-8):
• He was not the Messiah.
“He himself was not the light” (v. 8a; cf. vv. 19-28).
Some people wondered if John was the Christ (Luke 3:15).
“I am not the Christ” (v. 20).
• He pointed people to the true Messiah—Jesus.
“He came only as a witness to the light” (v. 8b; cf. vv. 29-34).
John is the first in a series of several witnesses presented in this Gospel.
“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’” (v. 29).
• He led many people to follow Jesus.
“He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe” (v. 7; cf. vv. 35-51).
“The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God!’ When the two disciples [Andrew and probably John] heard him say this, they followed Jesus” (vv. 35-37).
“Through him” = through John. Application: As people believed in Jesus through John, so today people can believe in Him through us (through our witness). Are you leading people closer to Jesus or turning them farther away?
Jesus—the True Light
“The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world” (v. 9). KJV: “That was the true light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” Because the entry of Jesus into the world is such a frequent thought for John, the first reading is the better interpretation (cf. 1:10; 3:17, 19).
The coming of the Messiah is frequently described in the OT in terms of light:
• “A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel” (Numbers 24:17).
• “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned” (Isaiah 9:2).
• “The sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings” (Malachi 4:2)
• Zechariah: “The rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness” (Luke 1:78-79)
• By saying that Jesus is the “true light,” John indicates that Jesus is the fulfillment of OT hopes and expectations.
How does Jesus give light “to every man”? John may mean that Jesus lights not every man without exception, but every man without distinction (i.e. not Jews only; cf. Acts 1:8; Colossians 3:11).
Two astonishing facts:
(1) God became a man;
(2) When God did this, people would have nothing to do with Him.
John is concerned that we should miss neither the good news of the incarnation of God, nor the tragedy of the human rejection of God.
1. The WORLD did not RECOGNIZE its CREATOR.
“He was in the world [earth], and though the world [earth] was made through him, the world [people] did not recognize him” (v. 10; cf. v. 3).
Jesus came to earth because of God’s love for the world (John 3:16). When the Bible says that God loves the world, it is not an endorsement of the world’s goodness but a testimony to the greatness of God’s love. God’s love is to be admired not because the world is so big but because the world is so bad.
The statement “he was in the world” tells us that God did not make a quick visit to earth.
The Maker of man became man that He, Ruler of the stars, might be nourished at the breast; that He, the Bread, might be hungry; that He, the Fountain, might thirst; that He, the Light, might sleep; that He, the Way, might be wearied by the journey; that He, the Truth, might be accused by false witnesses; that He, the Judge of the living and the dead, might be brought to trial by a mortal judge; that He, Justice, might be condemned by the unjust; that He, disciple, might be scourged with whips; that He, the Foundation, might be suspended upon a cross; that Courage might be weakened; that Security be wounded; that Life might die.
To endure these and similar indignities for us, to free us, unworthy creatures, He who existed as the Son of God before all ages, without a beginning, designed to become the Son of Man in these recent years. He did this although He who submitted to such great evils for our sake had done no evil and although we, who were the recipients of so much good at His hands, had done nothing to merit these benefits.—Augustine
“Did not recognize him [knew him not (KJV)]” refers to more than intellectual knowledge. There is also the thought of the failure to know and love as a friend. The world missed its great opportunity. It did not come to know God when God was in its very midst.
2. The JEWISH NATION did not RECEIVE its MESSIAH.
“He came to that which was his own [his own home], but his own [his own people] did not receive him” (v. 11).
Jesus did not go where He could not have expected to be known. He came home (to Israel), where the people should have known Him.
The Jews’ response to Jesus was hostile among the leaders and divided among the people.
When Jesus came to earth, there was no room for Him in MOST people’s lives:
a. The people of BETHLEHEM (Luke 2:7)
“And [Mary] gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”
b. HEROD (Matthew 2:3, 13)
“When King Herod heard this he was disturbed….”
“…Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”
c. The RELIGIOUS LEADERS (Matthew 2:4-6)
“When [Herod] had called all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. ‘In Bethlehem in Judea,’ they replied….” Bethlehem was only a short distance from Jerusalem. Why didn’t they go?
d. The people of NAZARETH (John 6:42)
“They said, ‘Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, “I came down from heaven”?’”
e. The people of JERUSALEM (Matthew 27:21-23)
“‘Which of the two do you want me to release to you?’ asked the governor. ‘Barabbas,’ they answered. ‘What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ?’ Pilate asked. They all answered, ‘Crucify him!’ ‘Why? What crime has he committed?’ asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, ‘Crucify him!’”
Why?
• Some people (like Herod) are actively opposed to Jesus.
• Some people (like the people of Nazareth) don’t really understand who Jesus is.
• Some people (like the people of Bethlehem) are preoccupied with other things they think are more important. Illustration: Christ gets lost in the busyness and commercialism of Christmas.
3. Those who do receive Jesus will become CHILDREN of God.
“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God” (vv. 12-13).
When Jesus came to earth, there was room for Him in a FEW people’s lives:
a. The SHEPHERDS (Luke 2:15-16).
b. The WISE MEN (Matthew 2:1-2, 9-11)
The shepherds “hurried off” (Luke 2:16). The wise men traveled “from the east” (Matthew 2:1).
The shepherds and wise men would have been looked down on as outcasts and foreigners, but God made them His children.
The new birth:
• Becoming a child of God is not a right we DESERVE or EARN; it is a GIFT of GRACE (“gave”).
• Becoming a child of God is not a NATURAL event; it is a MIRACLE of God.
The end of the story is not the tragedy of rejection, but the grace of acceptance.
Conclusion
The big difference between Jesus and Santa:
• Santa is about ME and the stuff I so desperately WANT.
• Jesus is about something more—the GRACE I so desperately NEED.
(Based on Jesus and Santa Video by Igniter Media Group)
WHAT CHILD IS THIS? (Part 3)
John 1:6-13
The ministry of John the Baptist (vv. 6-9):
• He was not the Messiah (see 1:19-28).
• He pointed people to the true Messiah—Jesus (see 1:29-34).
• He led many people to follow Jesus (see 1:35-51).
1. The __________ did not _______________ its ____________ (v. 10).
2. The ___________________________ did not _____________ its _____________ (v. 11).
When Jesus came to earth, there was no room for Him in __________ people’s lives:
a. The people of _____________________ (Luke 2:7)
b. ____________ (Matthew 2:3, 13)
c. The ________________________________ (Matthew 2:4-6)
d. The people of _____________________ (John 6:42)
e. The people of _____________________ (Matthew 27:21-23)
3. Those who do receive Jesus will become __________________ of God (vv. 12-13).
When Jesus came to earth, there was room for Him in a ________ people’s lives:
a. The ____________________ (Luke 2:15-16).
b. The ____________________ (Matthew 2:1-2, 9-11)
The new birth:
• Becoming a child of God is not a right we _______________ or _____________; it is a ____________ of ____________.
• Becoming a child of God is not a _________________ event; it is a _________________ of God.
The big difference between Jesus and Santa:
• Santa is about _______ and the stuff I so desperately _____________.
• Jesus is about something more—the _____________ I so desperately _____________.
