Match These New Testament Characters -- #5 Quiz

Answer: Five husbands

According to Scripture, the Samaritan woman at the well had been married five times before. The account is found in John 4:1-26. It's in this account Jesus makes His famous declaration in Verses 13 and 14: "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."

No name is given for the woman at the well. While Jews and Samaritans largely despised each other, Samaritans are portrayed in a remarkably good light in the four Gospels. For example, one of Christ's most famous parables is called The Good Samaritan. It tells of a Samaritan stopping to help a badly beaten person along the side of a highway while a priest and a Levite passed by not offering any assistance. The parable is found in Luke 10:25-37.

Answer: Industrious

Martha was industrious while her sister Mary was insightful. They are, without question, the best known sisters in the New Testament. Details about Martha being busy while Mary was listening to the teachings of Jesus can be found in Luke 10:38-42. The story appears right after the famous parable known as The Good Samaritan.

Here's how Luke 10:38-42 tells of the incident in the NKJV:
"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: Theophilus

The Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts are both addressed to Theophilus. However, it is not known for certain who exactly Theophilus was. Some believe he was a Roman government official, others believe he was a lawyer who represented Paul during one of his trials.

Some believe Theophilus is a collective name for Christians in general but this view is disputed by others because the Gospel of Luke describes Theophilus in the NKJV and the NIV as "most excellent," a term for a specific person and not a collective body.

Answer: VIP in Malta

According to the NKJV, Publius was the "leading citizen" on the island of Malta and welcomed Paul and his group into his house after they survived a shipwreck. (In the NIV, Publius is described as the "chief official" of the island.) Details about the shipwreck are found in Acts 27 and 28. Luke, the writer of Acts, is short on details, but writes Publius "welcomed us into his home and for three days entertained us hospitably."

According to Acts 28:8, the chief official's father was sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Scripture states Paul went to see him and, after prayer, placed his hands on him and healed him.

This is the only time Publius is mentioned in the Bible.

Answer: Purple cloth

Lydia, the seller of purple cloth, played a major role in the development of the early church at Philippi. Her conversion to Christianity is told in the 16th chapter of Acts. According to Scripture, after Lydia became a believer in a resurrected Jesus Christ, her entire household believed. Lydia's step of faith was followed in the same chapter by the conversion of the Philippian jailer and his household. Incidentally, many theologians believe Lydia was a dynamic and wealthy woman. As stated in Acts 16:14, she was a seller of purple cloth, an item that only the very wealthy could afford in Biblical times.

Notes in the NKJV Study Bible explain things this way: "Purple dye had to be gathered drop by drop from a certain shellfish. Because it was so expensive purple dye was used on garments worn by royalty. As an artisan in purple dyes, Lydia was a wealthy woman who came to Philippi to practice her trade."

Answer: Wife of Aquila

Priscilla, along with her husband Aquila, played a key role in helping spread the Gospel in the early days of the church. In Romans 16:4, Paul states Priscilla and Aquila risked their lives for him and "all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful for them." However, no details are given as to what exactly Priscilla and Aquila did to risk their lives for Paul.

It's also interesting to note Paul places Priscilla's name before Aquila's in most of his letters, and this at a time when women were seen as grossly inferior and not even included in census figures of the day.

As a result, many theologians believe Priscilla was extremely dynamic and a moving force in the early church.

Answer: Sycamore tree

Zacchaeus, of course, was the short man who climbed up a sycamore tree in Luke 19 to get a better look at Jesus passing through town. Zacchaeus oversaw all the tax collectors in Jericho, a community northeast of Jerusalem, near the Jordan River. According to Wikipedia, Jericho is believed to be one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world.

When Jesus spotted the diminutive tax collector up in a tree, he said, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." No doubt the response took Zacchaeus by complete surprise.

After all, it's not every day a 'celebrity' passes through a community and states to a person he has never met before that he wants to spend the night at his house.

Answer: Son revived

The widow of Nain saw Jesus perform a spectacular miracle -- her son was raised from the dead. This is one of three incidents in which Christ raised people from the dead, according to the four Gospels. He also raised Jairus' daughter from the dead, as per Mark 5:21-43 and Luke 8:40-56. And then to top things off, He raised Lazarus from the dead, as per John 11:38-44.

Here's how Luke 7:11-15, in the NKJV Bible, tells of the miracle Jesus performed for the widow: "Now it happened, the day after, that He went into a city called Nain; and many of His disciples went with Him, and a large crowd. And when He came near the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the city was with her. When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, 'Do not weep.' Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, 'Young man, I say to you, arise.' So he who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother."

According to the Thompson Chain-Reference Study Bible, Nain is about ten miles south of Nazareth. Incidentally, this is the only place in the entire English Bible where Nain is mentioned.

Answer: Also called Levi

Matthew, the writer of the first of the four Gospels in order of appearance, was also known as Levi. According to Mark 2:14, Levi was the son of Alphaeus. The Web site Christiananswers.net states Matthew was a common name after the exile. Before becoming a disciple, he was a tax collector, as per Matthew 9:9.

It was common for people in Biblical times to have two names. For example, among the Twelve Disciples, Peter is also known as Simon, Nathanael is also known as Bartholomew and Thomas as Didymus. Then there's Saul who became Paul and Joses who was better known as Barnabas.

Answer: Also called Nathanael

Most theologians believe Bartholomew and Nathanael are the same person. The disciple is referred to as Bartholomew in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke as well as in the book of Acts, which was also written by Luke. Although Nathanael was one of the quiet disciples, he is known for being the first disciple to make the declaration that Jesus was the Son of God.

He made the declaration in John 1:49, months, possibly years before Peter.