Word Association -- New Testament Characters #11 Quiz

Answer: Andrew

Prior to becoming a disciple for Jesus, Andrew served as a disciple of John the Baptist, as per John 1:40.

Details about John the Baptist appear in Matthew 3:1-17, Luke 3:1-20, and John 1:19-34. He preached a message of repentance and told the people he had been sent to prepare the way for the long-promised Messiah. He had harsh words for the church leaders of the day (the Sadducees and the Pharisees), calling them "a brood of vipers." John also baptized Jesus in the Jordan River.

Some evangelical Christians regard John as the last of the Old Testament prophets.

Answer: James

James is the correct answer. He, along with his brother John and Peter, are regarded as being part of Christ's inner circle. Mark 13:3-4 tells of Jesus sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple with James, John, Peter and Andrew and telling of the destruction of the temple and other buildings. When asked about the date the destruction will take place, Jesus responded by giving a lengthy statement about the signs of the end of the age.

James, John and Peter were also present during the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1), when Jesus healed Jairus' daughter (Luke 8:51), and when Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane prior to his arrest and crucifixion (Matthew 26:37).

Answer: Silas

Acts 15:22 tells of a council of elders and apostles at Jerusalem appointing Silas and Judas, also called Barsabbas, to go with Paul and Barnabas to present a special letter of instructions to Gentile believers in Antioch.

Acts 15:29, in the NIV Bible, makes it clear the church council did not want to burden the Gentile believers with a long list of rules. The verse states "You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell." Verse 31 states the people who read the letter "were glad for its encouraging message." Verse 32 goes on to state Silas and Judas, "who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the brothers."

Answer: John Mark

The correct answer is John, also called Mark. After being deserted by John Mark during his first missionary trip, Paul wanted no part of having him take part on the second journey. This even though Barnabas lobbied hard to have John Mark take part. Acts 15:36-41, in the NIV Bible, states: "Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, 'Let us go back and visit the brothers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.' Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches."

However, the fractured relationship between Paul and Mark was eventually healed. In 2 Timothy 4:11, Paul advises Timothy to bring Mark to him "because he is helpful to me in my ministry." 2 Timothy is believed to have been written not long before Paul was executed.

Answer: Matthias

Judas Iscariot, one of the original twelve disciples, hanged himself after betraying Jesus prior to the crucifixion, and Matthias was selected to replace him. Judas Iscariot's suicide is reported in Matthew 27:5. Meanwhile, the selection of Matthias is reported in Acts 1:12-26. He was selected over Joseph, called Barsabas, according to Scripture.

Answer: Zacchaeus

Zacchaeus was the chief tax collector of Jericho. His story appears in Luke 19:1-9. Zacchaeus, of course, was the short man who climbed up a tree in to get a better look at Jesus passing through town.

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.

According to Wikipedia, Jericho is believed to be one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world.

Answer: Apollos

According to Acts 18:27-28, Apollos played a key role in spreading the Gospel in Achaia, an area in Greece. The verses in the NIV Bible state he was "a great help to those who by grace had believed for he vigorously refuted the Jews in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ."

Apollos was tutored by Priscilla and Aquila, the dynamic husband-wife team in the New Testament. Acts 18:24-26 describe Apollos as a "learned man who had a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures." Scripture states Priscilla and Aquila invited Apollos into their home "and explained to him the way of God more adequately."

Answer: Luke

Luke is the correct answer. Luke's name is not mentioned directly in Acts, but the careful reader will see his involvement in various stories. Whenever Luke is involved, he uses words to the effect 'we did this' or 'we did that'. These are known as the 'We Passages'. Acts 27 and 28, two chapters telling of the a shipwreck followed by time spent on the island of Malta, are part of the 'We Passages'.

The central figure in the account of the shipwreck, however, is Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles. This is the only time Malta is mentioned in Scripture.

Scripture makes it quite clear the ship carrying Paul and Luke was involved in a massive storm before it floundered. In Acts 27:18, it states the ship took "such a violent battering from the storm" the crew began to throw the cargo overboard. Acts 27:19-20 tells of the despair felt by the people on the ship: "On the third day, they threw the ship's tackle overboard with their own hands. When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved."

The Maltese people are painted in a favorable light. The islanders were unusually friendly, according to Luke. In Acts 28:10, for example, he states the islanders "honored" them in many ways.

Answer: Bartimaeus

The correct answer is Bartimaeus, one of my favorite characters in the Gospels. The story of blind Bartimaeus receiving his sight is found in Mark 10:45-52. What I find fascinating about the account is Bartimaeus is reported to have been shouting at the top of his lungs to get Jesus' attention and the crowd that surrounded Christ responded by telling the blind beggar to shut up!

In Mark 10:49, those people had a sudden change of heart when Jesus indicated he wanted to meet with Barimaeus. Those same people who had told Bartimaeus to shut up, responded in the NIV Bible by stating "Cheer up! On your feet! He's calling you." Prior to verse 49, it's as if Bartimaeus was sub-human. When Jesus indicated he wants to meet with Bartimaeus, his status in the eyes of the hangers-on skyrocketed. Many of the people in the crowds following Jesus did not see him as the Messiah. They saw him as the man who was going to overthrow the Romans and serve as their benevolent king.

Answer: 1 Corinthians

The correct answer is 1 Corinthians. The book was written by Paul and the 13th chapter is a classic among Christians. Here's a sample of verses 4-7: "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."