The Kindness of a Stranger Trivia Quiz

Answer: camels

Camels are known for drinking large amounts of water and can go for long periods of time without it in the desert. They have large humplike backs that carry riders for long journeys in the desert. They were used many times for travelers during the Bible times. Abraham's servant brought with him ten camels for his journey.

At a well he prayed, "O Lord God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham. Behold, I stand here by the well of water; and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water: And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed kindness unto my master." (Genesis 24:12-14, KJV)

The servant's prayers were answered by a beautiful lady named Rebekah (Genesis 24:15-20). At the well where he was resting, she gave water to the servant and watered all his camels. He went with her to her house and explained to her family his mission. Rebekah told her family that if it was God's will she would gladly go (Genesis 24:28-59). When she reached her destination and met Isaac, the two fell in love at first sight (Genesis 24:67). She was a very brave woman and mother of Isaac's two sons, Esaau and Jacob.

Answer: cried and showed them mercy

Joseph's father had a great influence on Joseph's faith in God. When Joseph's father died, his brothers came to him and asked for forgiveness for what they had done to him in the past. They were fearful Joseph would punish them and their families for making him a slave. They did not realize Joseph had his own faith in God through his experiences.

Joseph said unto them, "Fear not: for am I in the place of God? But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them." (Genesis 50:19-21, KJV)

Joseph had learned through being mistreated, how to show kindness to others. He had also learned God had a purpose in bringing all things together for good. God had used what his brothers intended for evil, to bring Joseph to Egypt to save his family. He was able to forgive and provide a place of refuge during a time of need.

Answer: raised him as her own son

At the orders of Pharaoh, soldiers came into the Hebrews' houses and slew the babies that were two and under. If any new babies were born, the soldiers checked at the birth; if the baby was a boy they killed it immediately. Moses' mother feared for her baby's life and left Moses in a basket in the river. She left Moses' sister to watch over her brother. (Exodus 2:1-4)

Pharaoh's daughter heard the baby's cries and found him. She recognized he was a Hebrew and was filled with compassion. Moses' sister came from nearby and volunteered to provide Moses' mother as a nurse; Pharaoh's daughter happily agreed to the deal. When Moses was of age, he was brought to the palace and raised as a prince. (Exodus 2:5-10)

Acts 7:20-21 (KJV) describes the kindness of Pharaoh's daughter by saying, "In which time Moses was born, and was exceeding fair, and nourished up in his father's house three months. And when he was cast out, Pharaoh's daughter took him up, and nourished him for her own son."

Answer: a priest

Moses was traveling through the wilderness when he saw seven women fighting off shepherds at the well, trying to get water for their animals. Moses defended them and gave water to their animals. The ladies went home and told their father, Jethro the priest.

"When the seven daughters of Jethro, the priest of Midian, came up to water their father's sheep and goats. 17 Some shepherds tried to chase them away, but Moses came to their rescue and watered their animals. 18 When Jethro's daughters returned home, their father asked, 'Why have you come back so early today?' They answered, 'An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds, and he even watered our sheep and goats.' 'Where is he?' Jethro asked. 'Why did you leave him out there? Invite him to eat with us." (Exodus 2:16-18, CEV)

Jethro thanked Moses for his kindness and offered him a home. Moses became a shepherd and lived with Jethro's family until God sent him back to Egypt. He married Jethro's daughter Zipporah, and had two sons.

Answer: told her to put a cord in the window so they could save her life

Rahab hid the spies in her roof when soldiers came searching for them. Later, when they asked her why she showed them kindness, she told them she believed their God would give them the victory.

Rahab told them that the Lord had brought fear upon the citizens of Jericho with testimonies of the victory of the Red Sea, Pharaoh, and the mighty battles Israel had fought. She told them, "And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the Lord your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath." She asked the spies to swear kindness to her and her family, by saving their lives when God gave them the city. (Joshua 2:9-11, KJV)

The spies answered her, "Our life for yours, if ye utter not this our business. And it shall be, when the Lord hath given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with thee." (Joshua 2:14. KJV) They swore an oath to protect her if Rahab would protect them.

The spies told her to put a red cord in the window. "Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father's household, home unto thee" (Joshua 2:18, KJV) When the Israelites won the battle of Jericho and the walls fell down, the spies ran to Rahab's window and saved her entire family.

Later, Rahab married an Israelite. She became one of the great grandmothers of Jesus Christ's ancestry.

Answer: give them extra food from the field

Ruth was a widow that had lost her husband, father-in-law, and brother-in-law shortly after her wedding. (Ruth 1:1-5) The Israelites believed the three men had died as judgment for leaving Israel and moving to Moab, the country where Ruth lived. The Israelites were very unkind to Ruth because Moab was reputed to sacrifice children to idols, burning them alive. They did not know Ruth worshiped Israel's God with Naomi, her mother-in-law.

Boaz heard about Ruth's bravery and had compassion. He told Ruth to come gather the wheat in his field. He instructed his workers to be kind to her and give her extra food for Naomi.(Ruth 2:1-16)

When Ruth showed Naomi her portion, Naomi cried in joy. "And her mother in law said unto her, Where hast thou gleaned to day? and where wroughtest thou? blessed be he that did take knowledge of thee. And she shewed her mother in law with whom she had wrought, and said, The man's name with whom I wrought to day is Boaz. 20And Naomi said unto her daughter in law, Blessed be he of the LORD, who hath not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead." (Ruth 2:19-20, KJV)

Later Naomi discovered Boaz was a close relative and could redeem the inheritance of Ruth's husband. Boaz loved Ruth and married her. They became the ancestors of King David, and later Jesus Christ. (Ruth 3)

Answer: took a different route home

The wise men, searching for a king, first came to Herod and inquired where they could find the newborn. They realized their mistake when Herod told them he had not heard of any new king but wished to worship him. He instructed the wise men to find the new baby and report back to him. The wise men carried out their mission and found the young child in a house in Bethlehem with his parents. (Matthew 2:1-12, KJV)

The wise men gave the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Each of their gifts signified a prophetic meaning and means of care for the child. Gold signified honor and riches. The prophets prophesied of the child bringing an everlasting kingdom. Frankincense was a healing and immune ointment, that was used in honoring priests. It signified the child's purpose in fulfilling the ultimate sacrifice and priesthood. While myrrh was pain ointment and used for wounds, it was also an expensive ointment used in embalming and burial; it signified death and the child's future. It is believed these gifts paid for the child's care.

Before the wise men left, an angel appeared to them. "And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way." (Matthew 2:12, KJV). Herod was enraged and sought to kill Jesus. However Joseph and Mary fled to Egypt. (Matthew 2:13-16, KJV)

Answer: a Samaritan

Samaritans were considered "mix-breeds" and "traitors" because they had blended in with other nations when Israel was conquered. Their ancestors had chosen to marry citizens of other nations while other Jews had remained separate. Jews had hated the Samaritans, sometimes going around their area on a trip or refusing to walk on the same side of the street. Jesus had shown compassion to Samaritans.

In his story, Jesus showed that the Samaritan ended up doing the right thing to the Jewish traveler. The Samaritan saw the man in the ditch, healed his wounds, and put him in a hotel. The Samaritan told the hotel keeper, if the man needed anything else, to add it to his bill and he would repay it on the way back. (Luke 10:30-35, KJV)

"Jesus said, 'Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?'
A lawyer replied, 'The one who had mercy on him.'
Jesus told him, 'Go and do likewise.'" (Luke 10:36-37, KJV)

Answer: welcome him as a Christian brother and Paul would pay his debts

Philemon was a dear friend of Paul, who had prayed for Paul to be released from prison in Rome. Paul wrote to Philemon and shared the news that he had converted his runaway slave while being a prisoner in jail. At that time, the penalty for runaways was severe and could include death. However, Paul appealed to Philemon as a Christian to have mercy, and welcome Onesimus as a brother in Christ. Paul's appeal is the letter known as the book of Philemon in the Bible.

"I want your act of kindness to come from your heart, and not be something you feel forced to do. Perhaps Onesimus was taken from you for a little while so that you could have him back for good, but not as a slave. Onesimus is much more than a slave. To me he is a dear friend, but to you he is even more, both as a person and as a follower of the Lord.If you consider me a friend because of Christ, then welcome Onesimus as you would welcome me. If he has cheated you or owes you anything, charge it to my account." (Philemon 1:14-18, CEV)

We are not told the ending of the story, but it is believed Philemon forgave Onesimus and allowed him to help Paul because of their Christian faith. Paul writes in another epistle that Onesimus was sent to greet the church in Colossae (Colossians 4:9, CEV).

Answer: being kind to people who were poor, sick, and needy

In Matthew 25, Jesus told his disciples that the king will return in glory with his angels. He will separate the good people from the bad people and give them rewards.

"Then the king will say to those on his right, 'My father has blessed you! Come and receive the kingdom that was prepared for you before the world was created. When I was hungry, you gave me something to eat, and when I was thirsty, you gave me something to drink. When I was a stranger, you welcomed me, and when I was naked, you gave me clothes to wear. When I was sick, you took care of me, and when I was in jail, you visited me.'" (Matthew 25:34-36, CEV)

The righteous will be confused because they will not recognize the king or remember serving him in a needy condition. Jesus said, "Then the ones who pleased the Lord will ask, 'When did we give you something to eat or drink? When did we welcome you as a stranger or give you clothes to wear or visit you while you were sick or in jail?' The king will answer, 'Whenever you did it for any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you did it for me.'" (Matthew 25:37-40, CEV)

Jesus explained that each time his disciples show acts of compassion towards those in need, they are doing it unto him.