Pick the Correct Gospel Ending Quiz

Answer: Matthew

Matthew's Gospel is the only one with the divine messenger outside the tomb. Matthew is also the only Gospel to use an earthquake to signify the resurrection of Jesus. In Biblical times, earthquakes were frightening in their magnitude and mysterious in nature, and as such, they were often considered acts of God. For example, in chapter 27 Matthew also uses an earthquake when Jesus dies on the cross, thus leading the centurion to proclaim, "Truly this was the son of God!" Additionally, in Act 16 of the New Testament, an earthquake opened the prison door of Paul and Silas and loosened their chains. Rather than flee, they stayed so the guard would not kill himself.

This question was written by Phoenix Rising's BigTriviaDawg who has never felt an earthquake nor does he ever want to!

Answer: Matthew

Matthew 28:15, NIV: "So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day."

The prelude to this occurs after the death of Jesus. An angel of the Lord has descended and rolled away the stone from the tomb. The guards... Well, they fainted. The angel sat and waited until two women, who were followers of Jesus, arrived. The angel informs them that Jesus has risen.

Now comes the interesting part. The chief priests don't want the word to get out that Jesus has risen. As 1 Corinthians 15:14-20 indicates, either Jesus has risen or he hasn't. The first indicates hope for eternal salvation, and the latter speaks of hopelessness after death. To ensure the word doesn't get out the priests bribe the soldiers to say that they fell asleep on the job, which allowed his followers to snatch His body and spirit it away. They also promised to protect the soldiers should the story have reached Pilate. Interestingly, Matthew would write of this almost a decade later and that story still persisted.

Phoenix Rising member pollucci19 took no payment for creating this question.

Answer: Matthew

"Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age'" (Matthew 28 18-20, NIV).

The Great Commission was given by the resurrected Christ to the apostles shortly before His ascension. Some Christians believe this command was fulfilled by the apostles, while others (e.g., evangelicals) interpret it as an ongoing mission of the Christian church to spread the gospel to the world. In the original Greek, "make disciples" is the only direct command, whereas "go", "baptize", and "teach" are participles. In other words, one fulfills the commission of making disciples by going into all the world, baptizing them, and teaching them how to follow Christ.

Each of the other Gospels and the book of Acts contain abridged versions of the Great Commission. Mark 16:15 reads, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation". In Luke 44:47 it's, "repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem." John 20:21 reads, "As the Father has sent me, I am sending you". Acts 1:8 states, "and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth".

This question commission was taken up by Phoenix Rising's JCSon.

Answer: Mark

While the women in the other three Gospels may have wondered who would roll away the large stone from the tomb entrance, only Mark actually states it. In the three other Gospels, the women found the stone already rolled away and the tomb empty. Finding a stone large enough to block the cave entrance must have been quite a challenge to begin with. Typically when a person died the family anointed the corpse with expensive oils, but Jesus died right before the Sabbath when it would have been forbidden to work at all. It is also worth noting that typically crucified bodies were not allowed to be buried, but instead left to rot on the cross as a warning to the conquered to not cause trouble.

This question was written by Phoenix Rising's BigTriviaDawg who thinks it might be easier to move a stone than get a teenager out of bed for school.

Answer: Mark

At the start of Mark Chapter 16, Mark names Salome as one of three women looking to enter the tomb in which the body of Jesus had been placed. They were carrying spices with which they planned to anoint the body. Their biggest concern was the size of the rock that lay across the tomb and who was going to shift it for them.

Salome is listed in the Gospels as a myrrh bearer. She is recorded as one of the three, possibly four, women who were present at the crucifixion of Jesus and tended to his needs. The Gospels, however, do not go to the extent of declaring her a disciple of Jesus; instead, she is recorded as a follower.

This question was spiced up by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19.

Answer: Mark

Mark 16:5, NIV: "As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed."

Three women had come to the tomb of Jesus with spices to anoint his body. They were concerned about the large stone in front of the tomb and how they were going to move it. However, upon their arrival they found the stone was already shifted, the body of Jesus was no longer there and, instead, they found a young man dressed in a white robe. They became alarmed but he allayed their fears and informed them that Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified, had been raised. They were also told to go and inform the disciples, but they bolted in both fear and amazement, so much so that they didn't tell anyone.

Who the young man was is not stated. Some sectors believe he was an angel. There is also a theory raised that he was also there at the betrayal of Jesus - see Mark 14:51-52 NIV, "A young man, wearing nothing but a linen garment, was following Jesus. When they seized him, he fled naked, leaving his garment behind." The theory gains some groundswell that these two instances are the only times Mark (specifically) mentions a "young man". Some have even argued that the young man was Mark, himself.

However, the identity of the young man is not important to most. What matters most is that the tomb is empty and in being so it re-affirms the core tenet of the Christian faith - that Christ had achieved a mastery over death and that his followers should now have faith that they too will have this mastery.

This question was written by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19 who wonders if the young man recorded in Mark chapter 14 was the first recorded streaker in the Bible.

Answer: Luke

Luke 24 starts out with the women going to the tomb with the spices they had prepared for Jesus' body. At first, the women are not identified. At the tomb, they find that the stone has been rolled away but nobody is present. Suddenly two men in gleaming clothes appear. Verse 23 identifies these men as in fact angels. They inform the women that Jesus has arisen from the dead just as He told them He would.

In verse 10 the women return to the disciples to tell them what they had discovered and in verse 11 three of the women are named - Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, but other women were with them. The fact that these three women were named shows that their role in the society of the followers of Christ was a more prominent one.

This event is only recorded in Luke's Gospel.

This question was written by Phoenix Rising's tazman6619, who is no angel but has been accused on occasion of being devilish.

Answer: Luke

In Luke's gospel, Cleopas and another devoted follower of Jesus were on the road to a nearby town, Emmaus, when they encountered Jesus. While hiding His identity, Jesus proceeded to tell the two men exactly why Jesus had to die according to the scriptures. It was not until the three sat down to eat together and Jesus broke the bread in front of them that the two realized it was their Lord. As soon they recognized Him, Jesus vanished before their eyes. The two men immediately go back to Jerusalem to tell the Apostles "It is true! The Lord has risen!"

This question was written by Phoenix Rising's BigTriviaDawg who gets goosebumps at the thought of Jesus suddenly disappearing once recognized.

Answer: Luke

All four gospels tell of Jesus meeting his disciples at various times and places after his Resurrection. The 24th (and final) chapter of Luke's gospel (NIV) tells of the Resurrection, the road to Emmaus, the meetings with the disciples and concludes with verses 50-53 on the Ascension. After Cleopas and another had met Jesus on the road to Emmaus, they went back to Jerusalem to inform the 'Eleven' (disciples) and the others about what they had witnessed. Interestingly, there is a lot of conjecture about who Cleopas was and the identity of the 'another'. Luke then continues with Jesus reappearing to the whole group as the two were recounting the events on the road (verse 36). He shows the holes in his hands and feet to dispel any ideas that he was "a spirit" and then comments that he is hungry (verse 41). They gave him some broiled fish (verse 42) and he ate it in front of them (verse 43). Many commentators believe that this act was again to emphasize that Jesus had a corporeal body. Some versions of the Bible note that he ate honeycomb along with the broiled fish.

This question was introduced to the quiz by MikeMaster, who has always wondered whether he would have been a "doubting Thomas" or would have believed without the physical evidence.

Answer: Luke

The theme of Luke 24 is the resurrection of Jesus and His interactions with His followers immediately following it. The chapter concludes with Jesus appearing to the disciples in Jerusalem and explaining everything from the scriptures so they would understand. At that time their hearts and minds were opened so they could comprehend all that had happened.

When Jesus was done He led them to the vicinity of Bethany. Here He blessed them and while doing so was taken back to heaven. Now the question that comes to my mind is why did He have to lead them to Bethany before He blessed them and returned to heaven? Was there something special about the place? This event is only recorded in Luke and no insight is given as to the significance of Bethany but it does seem odd, at least to me, why He could not have just left from Jerusalem and why He had to lead them to Bethany.

This question was written by Phoenix Rising member tazman6619 who ponders many imponderables just for the heck of it.

Answer: John

The day after her beloved Lord was buried was the day of the feast of the Firstfruits, a day of offering unblemished harvest to God. That day, Mary went to the tomb early; in fact, while the day was just dawning. In the early light, she could see that the stone that had been rolled across the tomb had been removed. Though the stone would have been situated in a groove at the base of the tomb entrance, it would have taken some effort to move it, as it was likely between 1 and 2 tons - in Mark 16:4 it is described, with some understatement, as 'very large'. Mary must have been utterly bereft to see through the open door that the body was no longer there. She turned and ran to find Peter and John to give them the news.

The book of 1 Corinthians 15:20 tells us that Jesus has become the firstfruits of those who will be raised from the dead.

This question was added by a Phoenix Rising teammate who is personally grateful for the empty tomb.

Answer: John

"So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first" (John 20:3-4, NIV).

In verse 2, the other disciple is referred to as "the one Jesus loved". Biblical scholars believe this disciple to be John (also known as John the Beloved). It is thought to be an expression of John's close personal relationship with Jesus and his confidence in knowing that he is personally loved, rather than self-importance or a desire for anonymity. John is younger than Peter, which probably gave him an advantage in the foot race. Nevertheless, John does not enter the tomb when he arrives. When Peter arrives, he is the first to enter the empty tomb, and John follows him inside.

This question was written by Phoenix Rising member, JCSon, who having run a 5:09 mile at 38, cannot help but wonder if he'd have outpaced John.

Answer: John

John tells us both Peter and an unnamed apostle see the empty tomb for themselves, then they leave Mary Magdalene there weeping and return to the city. Once alone, Mary sees two angels in the tomb who tell her that Jesus has risen. In confusion, she turns and sees a man whom she thinks must be the gardener. She asks him where he put the body of Jesus so she can retrieve it. When the man says her actual name, Mary's eyes are suddenly opened and she realizes it is Jesus. Interestingly, after this, Jesus instructs Mary not to hold Him since He has not ascended to the Father yet. This line would definitely be cut out of the Hallmark movie!

This question was written by Phoenix Rising's BigTriviaDawg who believes if Jesus was my gardener my plants might actually survive!

Answer: John

John chapter 20 tells the story of how Thomas refuses to believe in the resurrected Christ after the other 10 apostles tell him they have seen Him. He proclaims, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe". Jesus appears amongst them all a week later and invites Thomas to see and feel, to which Thomas replies, "My Lord and my God!" It's a matter of scholarly debate whether Thomas actually followed through and touched the wounds, because the Bible does not say that he did. Nonetheless, Jesus tells him: "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed". It is because of his skepticism that the epithet "Doubting Thomas" is ascribed to those who will not believe without direct personal experience.

This question was written by Phoenix Rising's JCSon, whose username is a recognition of Jesus Christ as the Son of God, and yet also believes in a healthy dose of skepticism.

Answer: John

Jesus forgives Peter and tells him to feed his sheep in John 21.

When Peter and some of the other disciples headed out fishing by way of distracting themselves from the overwhelming events of recent days (and incidentally to find food) they frustratingly caught nothing. A figure appeared on the shore and told them to throw the net over the other side. Obeying, they caught so many fish their nets could barely hold them.

When Jesus chose to reveal himself there on the shore, John realized who it was and told Peter. Impetuous as always, Peter jumped over the side of the ship and swam to the shore to embrace Jesus and to be embraced in return. Apart from a brief interlude in the locked upper room where Jesus had appeared to all the disciples, this was the first time they had been together with a chance to converse since Peter had denied the Lord three times.

Jesus confronted Peter in a loving way, not only to restore Peter to his former position of leadership, but to consolidate and confirm Peter's faith. Jesus asked Peter three times about the depths of his love for his Lord - the last time using the Greek word 'agape', a kind of love that extends beyond feelings and is a sacrificial love, a love that involves service; the kind of love Jesus showed the world when becoming a sacrifice on the cross. Jesus' questions to Peter left him in no uncertainty that loving Jesus meant a life of service, commitment, and sacrifice. Peter gave voice to his love in the statement "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you" (v17, NIV) and Jesus responded with the charge to Peter to feed his sheep, demonstrating that he had a plan and purpose for Peter's life. Jesus added that following him would not be easy, and would ultimately lead to Peter's death by crucifixion. Nonetheless, he said to Peter "Follow me", and from that moment on, Peter did.

This question was fished out and served up by Phoenix Rising member VegemiteKid.