Bible trivia questions about Jesus, from Bethlehem to the ascension

These 71 Bible trivia questions about Jesus follow the order of his life as the four Gospels tell it: birth and childhood, baptism and temptation, the first disciples, his teaching and miracles, the last week in Jerusalem, the cross, the resurrection and the ascension. Each answer gives its Gospel reference in the King James Version, so you can read the scene for yourself.

Most Jesus trivia lists jump around: a miracle, then Christmas, then a parable. Putting the questions in order does two things. It makes the quiz easier to follow in a group, and by the end you've walked through the whole story of the Gospels.

There's also a table of the key events with their place in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, which is handy for any Bible study on the life of Christ.

The life of Jesus in the four Gospels

Here's where each major event appears. A dash means that Gospel doesn't record it. John's Gospel overlaps least with the other three, which is why it's often studied separately.

Acts 1:9-11 also describes the ascension. Mark 16:19 belongs to the longer ending of Mark (16:9-20), which many of the earliest manuscripts lack; most Bibles print it with a note.

For a profile of Jesus' life with key moments and lessons, see the Jesus Christ character page. And if you'd like to test yourself on the Gospels at your own level, the app has quizzes on every chapter, with every answer explained by its verse.

Birth and childhood of Jesus

1. Which two Gospels tell the story of Jesus' birth? Answer: Matthew and Luke (Matthew 1:18, Luke 2:7). Mark opens with John the Baptist, and John with "In the beginning was the Word". Read the birth of Jesus.
2. What name did the angel tell Joseph to give the child, and why? Answer: Jesus, "for he shall save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21).
3. Whose decree sent Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem? Answer: Caesar Augustus, who ordered that "all the world should be taxed" (Luke 2:1-4).
4. Who was governor of Syria at the time of that taxing? Answer: Cyrenius, known in other sources as Quirinius (Luke 2:2).
5. To whom did an angel first announce the birth? Answer: Shepherds keeping watch over their flock by night (Luke 2:8-11).
6. What sign were the shepherds told to look for? Answer: A babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger (Luke 2:12).
7. Which devout man in the temple took the child in his arms and said, "Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace"? Answer: Simeon (Luke 2:25-29). See Simeon and Anna recognize the child.
8. Which prophetess, a widow of about fourscore and four years, spoke of the child to all who looked for redemption? Answer: Anna, the daughter of Phanuel (Luke 2:36-38).
9. What went before the wise men until it stood over where the young child was? Answer: The star they had seen in the east (Matthew 2:9).
10. On the way back from Egypt, why was Joseph afraid to go into Judaea? Answer: Archelaus was reigning there in place of his father Herod (Matthew 2:22).
11. What did the twelve-year-old Jesus say when his parents found him in the temple? Answer: "Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?" (Luke 2:49). Read Jesus in the temple at age twelve.
12. In Mark's Gospel, what trade are Jesus' neighbors in Nazareth said to know him by? Answer: "Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary?" (Mark 6:3). Matthew calls him "the carpenter's son" (Matthew 13:55).

Baptism and temptation

1. What did the voice from heaven say at Jesus' baptism? Answer: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:17). See the baptism of Jesus.
2. In what form did the Holy Ghost descend on Jesus? Answer: "In a bodily shape like a dove" (Luke 3:22).
3. Why did John the Baptist first try to stop Jesus from being baptized? Answer: He said, "I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?" (Matthew 3:14).
4. How did Jesus answer the devil's challenge to turn stones into bread? Answer: "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4), quoting Deuteronomy 8:3.
5. In Matthew's order, where did the devil set Jesus for the second temptation? Answer: On a pinnacle of the temple in the holy city (Matthew 4:5). Read the temptation in the wilderness.

First disciples and early ministry

1. In John's Gospel, which disciple brought his brother Simon to Jesus? Answer: Andrew, who said, "We have found the Messias" (John 1:40-41).
2. What name did Jesus give Simon at their first meeting? Answer: Cephas, "which is by interpretation, A stone" (John 1:42).
3. What did Jesus promise to make Simon and Andrew by the Sea of Galilee? Answer: "Fishers of men" (Matthew 4:18-19). For all twelve, see our 12 apostles quiz.
4. Which two brothers did Jesus surname Boanerges, "The sons of thunder"? Answer: James and John, the sons of Zebedee (Mark 3:17).
5. In which town's synagogue did Jesus read from Isaiah and say, "This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears"? Answer: Nazareth, "where he had been brought up" (Luke 4:16-21).
6. How did the people of that synagogue react? Answer: They were filled with wrath and led him to the brow of the hill to throw him down, but he passed through their midst (Luke 4:28-30). See Jesus rejected at Nazareth.
7. After leaving Nazareth, in which town by the sea did Jesus come and dwell? Answer: Capernaum (Matthew 4:13).

The teaching of Jesus

1. Finish the beatitude: "Blessed are the meek: for they shall…" Answer: "…inherit the earth" (Matthew 5:5). See the Sermon on the Mount.
2. How does the Lord's Prayer begin in Matthew? Answer: "Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name" (Matthew 6:9).
3. Where did Jesus tell his hearers to lay up their treasures? Answer: In heaven, "where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt" (Matthew 6:20).
4. On what did the wise man build his house? Answer: Upon a rock (Matthew 7:24). More stories Jesus told are in our parables of Jesus quiz.
5. To whom did Jesus say, "I am the resurrection, and the life"? Answer: Martha, before he raised her brother Lazarus (John 11:23-25).
6. Which disciple's question led Jesus to say, "I am the way, the truth, and the life"? Answer: Thomas, who asked, "Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?" (John 14:5-6).
7. Why did Jesus say, "Suffer the little children to come unto me"? Answer: His disciples had rebuked the people bringing children to him, and he was much displeased (Mark 10:13-14).

Miracles of Jesus

A small selection here. The miracles of Jesus quiz has a full table of every miracle and where it appears.

1. When the storm hit the boat, where was Jesus? Answer: "In the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow" (Mark 4:38). Read Jesus calms the storm.
2. Whose mother-in-law did Jesus heal of a fever? Answer: Simon Peter's; she rose and ministered to them (Mark 1:30-31).
3. How many baskets of fragments were gathered after the five thousand were fed? Answer: Twelve (John 6:13).
4. Which blind beggar at Jericho cried out, "Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me"? Answer: Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus (Mark 10:46-47).
5. What was the coin in the fish's mouth used for? Answer: To pay the tribute money "for me and thee", Jesus told Peter (Matthew 17:24-27).

People Jesus met

1. Which ruler of the synagogue begged Jesus to come to his dying twelve-year-old daughter? Answer: Jairus (Mark 5:22-23, 5:42).
2. Which Roman officer told Jesus, "speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed"? Answer: A centurion in Capernaum, whose faith Jesus praised (Matthew 8:5-10).
3. To whom did Jesus say, "Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more"? Answer: The woman taken in adultery (John 8:3-11). This passage (John 7:53 to 8:11) is missing from many of the earliest manuscripts, and most Bibles print it with a note.
4. In whose house at Bethany did a woman pour ointment on Jesus' head, according to Mark? Answer: Simon the leper's (Mark 14:3).
5. In John's Gospel, who anointed Jesus' feet with a pound of spikenard and wiped them with her hair? Answer: Mary, the sister of Lazarus (John 12:1-3).
6. Which two figures from the Old Testament talked with Jesus at the transfiguration? Answer: Moses and Elias, the KJV New Testament spelling of Elijah (Matthew 17:3).
7. Which three disciples did Jesus take up the mountain? Answer: Peter, James and John his brother (Matthew 17:1). See the transfiguration.

The last week in Jerusalem

1. What did the crowd spread on the road as Jesus rode into Jerusalem? Answer: Their garments and branches cut from the trees (Matthew 21:8). John specifies branches of palm trees (John 12:13).
2. What did the multitudes cry? Answer: "Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord" (Matthew 21:9). Read the triumphal entry.
3. Why did Jesus overthrow the tables of the moneychangers? Answer: "My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves" (Matthew 21:12-13).
4. What kind of tree did Jesus find with nothing on it but leaves? Answer: A fig tree, which withered away (Matthew 21:19).
5. Which two disciples did Jesus send to prepare the Passover? Answer: Peter and John (Luke 22:8).
6. What did Jesus say as he gave the disciples the bread? Answer: "Take, eat; this is my body" (Matthew 26:26). See the Last Supper.
7. In John's Gospel, how did Jesus show which disciple would betray him? Answer: He gave a sop to Judas Iscariot (John 13:26).
8. What sign did Judas give the crowd so they would know whom to seize? Answer: A kiss (Matthew 26:48-49).
9. What was the name of the high priest's servant whose ear Peter cut off? Answer: Malchus (John 18:10). Luke adds that Jesus touched his ear and healed him (Luke 22:51).

The trial and the cross

1. To whom was Jesus led first after his arrest, according to John? Answer: Annas, father-in-law of Caiaphas (John 18:13).
2. When Pilate heard Jesus was a Galilean, to whom did he send him? Answer: Herod, who was in Jerusalem at the time (Luke 23:6-7). See Jesus before Pilate.
3. Which prisoner did the crowd ask Pilate to release instead of Jesus? Answer: Barabbas (Matthew 27:20-21).
4. What did Pilate do with water before the crowd? Answer: He washed his hands, saying, "I am innocent of the blood of this just person" (Matthew 27:24).
5. What did the soldiers put on Jesus' head? Answer: A crown of thorns (Matthew 27:29).
6. In John, what did Pilate's title on the cross say? Answer: "JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS" (John 19:19).
7. In which three languages was the title written? Answer: Hebrew, Greek and Latin (John 19:20).
8. What did Jesus say to his mother from the cross? Answer: "Woman, behold thy son!", entrusting her to the disciple whom he loved (John 19:26-27).
9. According to Luke, what were Jesus' last words before he died? Answer: "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit" (Luke 23:46).
10. What happened to the veil of the temple when Jesus died? Answer: It was rent in twain from the top to the bottom (Matthew 27:51).
11. What did the centurion and those with him say? Answer: "Truly this was the Son of God" (Matthew 27:54). Read the crucifixion.
12. Who asked Pilate for Jesus' body and laid it in his own new tomb? Answer: Joseph of Arimathaea, a rich man and a disciple (Matthew 27:57-60).
13. Who brought about a hundred pound weight of myrrh and aloes for the burial? Answer: Nicodemus (John 19:39).

Resurrection and ascension

1. In Matthew, who rolled back the stone from the tomb? Answer: The angel of the Lord, whose countenance was like lightning (Matthew 28:2-3). See the resurrection.
2. Peter and another disciple ran to the tomb. Who got there first? Answer: The other disciple, who "did outrun Peter" (John 20:3-4).
3. What did Thomas say he needed before he would believe? Answer: To see the print of the nails in his hands and put his hand into his side (John 20:25).
4. On the road to Emmaus, Jesus walked with two disciples. What was the name of the one who answered him? Answer: Cleopas; the other disciple is not named (Luke 24:13-18). Read the disciples on the road to Emmaus.
5. For how many days did the risen Jesus show himself alive before he was taken up? Answer: Forty days (Acts 1:3).
6. According to Luke's Gospel, near which village was Jesus parted from the disciples and carried up into heaven? Answer: Bethany: "he led them out as far as to Bethany" (Luke 24:50-51). See the ascension.

Here's a three-question sample from the app's Luke question bank:

Quick quiz: Luke

To whom does Luke dedicate his Gospel?

TimothyTheophilusTitusPhilemon

To whom does an angel announce the Savior’s birth on the very night Jesus is born in Bethlehem?

To magi from the EastTo King Herod in his palaceTo shepherds in the fieldsTo the priests of the temple

Which tree does Zacchaeus climb to see Jesus?

A sycamoreA fig treeAn olive treeA palm tree

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There are many more questions like these in Bible Academy, each with its explanation and verse. Start free, no card needed.

Why these questions matter

Trivia about Jesus is only a start. The Gospel writers give their own reason for writing, and it's more than facts:

And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

That's a good passage to close a quiz night on. If you're leading a group, pick one scene from the questions (Thomas and the nail prints, in the resurrection section, works well) and read the whole passage together. A Bible study method like SOAP turns that reading into a short discussion: what does it say, what does it mean, what will I do with it.

For seasonal versions of this quiz, see our Easter Bible trivia for the last week and the resurrection, and Christmas Bible trivia for the birth narratives. For the wider New Testament, try New Testament trivia questions.

The best way to get every one of these right is to read the Gospels through. The four Gospels have 89 chapters in total; at three chapters a day you'd finish in about a month. The app's reading plan lets you pick 1 to 5 chapters a day and ends each reading with a short quiz.

Frequently asked questions

How old was Jesus when he started his ministry?

Luke says Jesus "began to be about thirty years of age" when he started his public ministry, right after his baptism (Luke 3:23). The Gospels don't give his exact age. From the number of Passovers mentioned in John's Gospel, many scholars estimate his ministry lasted about three years.

Which Gospels tell the birth of Jesus?

Only Matthew and Luke tell the birth story. Matthew focuses on Joseph, the wise men and the flight to Egypt (Matthew 1–2). Luke focuses on Mary, the shepherds and the presentation in the temple (Luke 1–2). Mark begins with John the Baptist, and John begins with the eternal Word (John 1:1).

What was the first miracle of Jesus?

The first miracle recorded in John's Gospel is turning water into wine at a wedding in Cana of Galilee. John calls it "this beginning of miracles" (John 2:11). The other Gospels don't say which miracle came first, so John 2 is the standard answer in Bible trivia.

What were Jesus' last words on the cross?

The Gospels record seven sayings from the cross between them. Luke gives his final words as "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit" (Luke 23:46). John gives "It is finished" (John 19:30). Matthew and Mark record the cry "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46).

How many days was Jesus on earth after the resurrection?

Acts 1:3 says Jesus showed himself alive "by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days" before he was taken up into heaven. Pentecost, whose Greek name means "fiftieth", followed about ten days later (Acts 2:1).