Word Association -- New Testament Characters #6 Quiz

Answer: Herod

According to Scripture, Herod ordered the execution of all male children two and under in Bethlehem and district. All this in an all-out effort to kill the Baby Jesus because Herod feared the Child would grow up and replace him as king.

Matthew 2:13-18, gives this account in the NKJV: "Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, 'Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.' When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, 'Out of Egypt I called My Son.' Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying:
'A voice was heard in Ramah,
Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children,
Refusing to be comforted,
Because they are no more'."

There is considerable speculation about how many children were killed by Herod. According to Wikipedia, some claim as many as 14,000 boys were killed. However, a number of theologians have disputed this claim, speculating less than 20 boys were killed because Bethlehem was a "rather small town", Wikipedia reports. It's all speculation, of course. No one knows how many children were killed by heartless Herod.

Answer: Peter

If there ever was an impulsive person in the New Testament, it had to be Peter. Be it jumping out of a boat to walk on water only to quickly lose his faith and sink or defiantly proclaiming he would never deny Christ, Peter is front and center in the New Testament when it comes to impulsiveness. Scripture suggests he often spoke without thinking. The account of Peter walking on the water, for an ever-so-brief amount of time, is found in the 14th chapter of Matthew. The account of Peter proclaiming he would never deny Christ and his about-face is found in the 26th chapter of Matthew.

Another example of Peter's impulsiveness is found in the 21st chapter of John, Scripture telling of Jesus, after His resurrection, appearing to seven disciples fishing on the Sea of Galilee. John 21:7 in the NKJV says Peter "plunged" into the water to meet Christ. (The NIV says he "jumped" into the water.) However, the other disciples, according to Scripture, stayed in their little boat and headed to shore to meet Jesus.

Answer: John the Baptist

John the Baptist is the correct answer. His clothes were made of camel hair and a leather belt and his diet consisted largely of locusts and wild honey, according to Matthew 3:4 and Mark 1:6. John's purpose was to prepare the way for Jesus, whom he described as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29).

In addition to his unusual dress and diet, John never seemed to be at a loss for words when it came to the Pharisees and the Sadducees. In Matthew 3:7, for example, he called them a "brood of vipers."

Answer: Drusilla

Felix was the Roman governor of Judea who was married to Drusilla. In Scripture, Drusilla is mentioned in passing reference. We read about Drusilla being a Jewess in Acts 24:24. It's in this chapter that Paul appears before Felix and makes a passionate case for a resurrected Jesus.

According to Josephus, the Jewish historian, Drusilla was a daughter of Herod Agrippa I, a sister of Herod Agrippa II and a great-niece of Herod Antipas.

Answer: Martha

Martha, the sister of Mary and Lazarus, was both industrious and irritable, Scripture indicates. Meanwhile, her sister Mary would be best described as insightful. The two sisters earned such a reputation as per the events in Luke 10:38-42. Scripture tells of Mary sitting at Jesus' feet listening to Him while Martha was busy preparing food for the guests. As a result, Martha became annoyed with the situation and requested Jesus to order her sister to lend a helping hand.

Luke 10:38-42, in the NKJV, reports things this way: "Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, 'Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.' And Jesus answered and said to her, 'Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.'"

Answer: Cleopas

After the crucifixion, Cleopas and an unnamed friend encountered Jesus while walking on the road to Emmaus, as per Luke 24:13-35. However, they failed to recognize who was in their midst until they invited Jesus into their home and after breaking some bread, they realized His identity.

However, almost immediately after they realized His identity, Jesus disappeared from their sight, Scripture states. Emmaus, according to verse 13, was a village about seven miles from Jerusalem.

Answer: Andronicus and Junia

Andronicus and Junia were both relatives of Paul and both served time in prison with him. Little in the way of details are given, but there is passing reference in Romans 16:7. Paul states that in addition to being his relatives and serving time in prison with him, "they are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was." The 16th chapter of Romans is largely a long list of personal greetings Paul sends to believers in Rome.

The chapter is seen by many today as a tribute to the common "Joe Christians" and "Jane Christians."

Answer: Simon the Leper

According to Mark 14:1-10, it was at the home of Simon the Leper that Jesus was anointed with expensive perfume, or costly oil. According to the 12th chapter of John, Mary anointed Jesus with the perfume and wiped His feet with her hair. John 12:3, in the NKJV Bible, states: "Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil." Verses 4 and 5 go on to state Judas Iscariot was indignant at the display of affection, stating the perfume could have been sold and given to the poor. However, John, the writer of the Gospel, states in the next verse that Judas didn't care about the poor, and that he "was a thief" who was in charge of Christ's "money box" and would often steal the offerings.

There is no smoking gun, but some theologians believe Simon the Leper was the father of Mary, Martha and Lazarus. According to Scripture, Simon lived in Bethany, the same community as Mary, Martha and Lazarus. There is also speculation Simon was cleansed of leprosy by Jesus, hence his name Simon the Leper.

Answer: Timothy

Timothy, a young worker in the early church, is the correct answer. According to the 13th chapter of Hebrews, Timothy had been imprisoned. Hebrews 13:23 states, "I want you to know that our brother Timothy has been released. If he arrives soon, I will come with him to see you." No further details are given about Timothy's incarceration. Making things even more of a mystery, no one knows for certain who wrote the book of Hebrews.

Some people believe Paul wrote the book, but there is no conclusive proof. If anything, this Scripture might indicate Paul was not the writer. And then again, it might not.

In other books, Paul describes Timothy as his son and tells him not to let people look down on him because of his youth. In this case, Timothy is described as a brother. Supporters of the belief that Paul wrote Hebrews will counter by saying perhaps with Timothy serving time in chains for the Gospel of Christ, Paul felt it was appropriate to describe him as a brother, and no longer as a son. In other words, Timothy had "all grown up."

Answer: Simon

Simon, who helped Jesus carry the cross to Calvary, was from the northern Africa community of Cyrene. Little is known about Simon, but Mark 15:21 states he was the father of Alexander and Rufus. According to the "International Standard Bible Encyclopedia", Cyrene was a city of Libya in North Africa.

It was separated from ancient Egypt by a portion of the Libyan desert. He is the first person from Africa to appear in the New Testament.