119 Fun Facts About Jesus

According to the Gospels, in which town was Jesus born?

Bethlehem, though Jesus grew up in Nazareth, which is why he became known as Jesus of Nazareth.

The Magi presented the infant Jesus with gold, frankincense and what third gift?

Myrrh; Matthew never says how many Magi came, and the traditional three was likely influenced by the number of gifts.

To escape Herod's plan to kill the child, where did Joseph take Mary and Jesus, according to Matthew?

Egypt; once they had gone, Herod ordered the killing of all the male children in the area aged two and under.

In Luke's account, why did Joseph and Mary travel south from Nazareth to the town where Jesus was born?

For a Roman census ordered by the emperor Augustus, and Joseph had to register there because he was of the house and family of David.

Luke says the newborn Jesus was laid in a manger for what reason?

No guest room was available, and an angel then told the shepherds that a baby lying in a manger would be their sign.

In Luke, the young Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem after his family went there for which festival?

Passover; Jesus was twelve, and his parents had already travelled a day toward home before noticing he was missing.

Before beginning his ministry, Jesus was baptised by John the Baptist in which river?

The Jordan; in Matthew, John at first protested that Jesus should be the one baptising him.

The people of Nazareth referred to Jesus by which trade?

The carpenter; they took offence at him, and Mark says he could do no mighty work there except heal a few sick people.

John the Baptist, who baptised Jesus, is described in the Gospels as eating what?

Locusts and wild honey; he was later beheaded by Herod Antipas after condemning Herod's marriage to Herodias.

After fasting forty days in the wilderness, what did the devil first tempt Jesus to do?

Turn stones into bread; Jesus refused, answering that man shall not live by bread alone.

Which two brothers were casting a net when Jesus called them to become 'fishers of men'?

Peter and Andrew; in John's Gospel, Andrew had first followed John the Baptist, then brought his brother to Jesus.

In the Gospels' story of Jesus calming a storm, what was he doing in the boat when the storm struck?

Sleeping; the terrified disciples woke him, and he calmed the wind and waves, then asked why they had so little faith.

According to John's Gospel, Jesus's first miraculous sign took place at a wedding in which village?

Cana; the steward, not knowing where the wine came from, praised the groom for saving the good wine until last.

In John's miracle of the five thousand, who had the five barley loaves and two small fish?

A boy; one disciple asked what so little could do among so many, yet twelve baskets of leftovers were gathered afterward.

Which two-word verse, often called the Bible's shortest, describes Jesus's reaction to the death of his friend Lazarus?

Jesus wept; some onlookers saw how much he had loved Lazarus, while others asked why he hadn't kept his friend from dying.

In Luke, which kind of man was the only one of ten healed lepers who came back to thank Jesus?

A Samaritan; Jesus asked where the other nine were, since only this foreigner had come back to give glory to God.

When Peter was asked about the temple tax, where did Jesus tell him he would find a four-drachma coin?

In a fish's mouth; Jesus argued that a king's own children are exempt from tax, but paid anyway so as not to cause offence.

Which three disciples did Jesus take up the mountain to witness the Transfiguration?

Peter, James and John; coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them to tell no one what they had seen until he had risen from the dead.

In Jesus's parable answering 'Who is my neighbour?', a man beaten by bandits was travelling from Jerusalem to which city?

Jericho; after a priest and a Levite passed him by, Jesus asked who proved a neighbour and told his questioner to go and do likewise.

In the parable of the Prodigal Son, what job did the son take after squandering his inheritance?

Feeding pigs; so hungry he envied the pigs' food, he headed home to beg work as a hired servant, but his father ran out to embrace him.

In Luke's parable of the lost sheep, how does the shepherd bring the sheep home once he finds it?

On his shoulders; back home he calls his friends to celebrate, just as heaven rejoices more over one sinner who repents.

In the Beatitudes that open the Sermon on the Mount, who does Jesus say 'will inherit the earth'?

The meek; when Jesus finished the sermon, the crowds were astonished that he taught with authority, unlike their scribes.

Jesus said it is easier for a camel to pass through what than for a rich man to enter God's kingdom?

The eye of a needle; Jesus said it after a rich man, told to sell everything and give to the poor, went away sad.

When the Pharisee Nicodemus visited Jesus by night, what did Jesus say a person must be to see God's kingdom?

Born again; Nicodemus took it literally, asking how a grown man could enter his mother's womb a second time.

Zacchaeus, the short chief tax collector, climbed what kind of tree to see Jesus?

A sycamore-fig; after Jesus chose to stay with him, the despised tax collector pledged half of his goods to the poor.

On what animal did Jesus ride into Jerusalem on the day now called Palm Sunday?

A colt; the disciples laid cloaks on it, and Matthew and John say the ride fulfilled an old prophecy about a donkey.

When Jesus drove the merchants out of the temple, he accused them of turning a house of prayer into what?

A den of robbers; hearing of it, the chief priests and scribes began looking for a way to destroy him.

For how many pieces of silver did Judas Iscariot agree to betray Jesus?

Thirty; remorseful, Judas threw the silver into the temple, and because it was blood money the priests used it to buy a potter's field.

In Mark's Gospel, in whose Bethany house did a woman bring costly perfume to Jesus shortly before his arrest?

Simon the Leper; when some grumbled that the perfume could have been sold for the poor, Jesus said she had prepared his body for burial.

At the Last Supper, Jesus warned Peter that he would disown him three times before what happened?

The rooster crowed; Peter had insisted he would die rather than deny Jesus, but after the third denial he heard it crow and broke down in tears.

Where did Jesus pray 'may this cup be taken from me' on the night of his arrest?

Gethsemane; Judas had arranged a signal for the arresting crowd, and he pointed Jesus out there with a kiss.

In Matthew's Gospel, which high priest held the night trial of Jesus after his arrest?

Caiaphas; when Jesus spoke of the Son of Man seated at God's right hand, Caiaphas charged him with blasphemy and the council declared he deserved death.

Before his crucifixion, Roman soldiers mocked Jesus with a crown made of what?

Thorns; the soldiers also dressed him in purple, struck his head with a reed, and knelt before him in mock homage.

Which prisoner did Pilate release to the crowd instead of Jesus?

Barabbas, who Luke says was jailed for a revolt in the city and for murder; the chief priests had stirred up the crowd to demand his release.

A man from which North African city was forced to carry Jesus's cross?

Cyrene; only Mark names the man's sons, Alexander and Rufus, probably because his first readers knew them.

On the notice Pilate had fixed to the cross, what title did he give Jesus?

The King of the Jews; when the chief priests asked him to change it, Pilate refused, saying 'What I have written, I have written.'

In Mark's Gospel, what in the temple was torn in two from top to bottom as Jesus died?

The curtain; watching Jesus die, the Roman centurion declared, 'Truly this man was the Son of God.'

The cry 'Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani' from the cross means what?

Why have you forsaken me; Jesus was quoting the opening of Psalm 22, but some bystanders thought he was calling for Elijah.

Which member of the Jewish council provided his own new tomb for Jesus's burial?

Joseph of Arimathea; John says he had followed Jesus only in secret, out of fear, yet he boldly went and asked for Jesus's body.

In John's Gospel, whom did Mary Magdalene mistake the risen Jesus for outside the tomb?

The gardener; she asked him where he had taken the body, and recognised Jesus only when he called her by name.

Two disciples walking to which village recognised the risen Jesus only when he broke bread with them?

Emmaus; he vanished from their sight, and the two set off back to Jerusalem that very hour to tell the others.

Which apostle refused to believe Jesus had risen without first seeing the nail marks?

Thomas; when Jesus appeared again and invited him to touch the wounds, Thomas declared, 'My Lord and my God!'

In John's final chapter, what question did the risen Jesus put to Peter three times?

Do you love me; Peter was hurt to be asked a third time, and each time Jesus answered his yes with a charge to care for his sheep.

According to Acts, from which mountain did the risen Jesus ascend into heaven?

Mount of Olives; as the apostles stared into the sky, two men in white told them Jesus would come back the same way.

The name Jesus comes from the Hebrew Yeshua, a shortened form of Yehoshua, which means what?

God saves; Matthew says the child was to be given the name because he would save his people from their sins.

In which work does Josephus mention James as 'the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ'?

Antiquities of the Jews; it tells how the high priest Ananus had James stoned, an act that cost Ananus his office after only three months.

According to Luke, which angel told Mary she would conceive and bear a son?

Gabriel; Mary was troubled by his greeting, yet she accepted his message, calling herself the servant of the Lord.

Luke dates the Annunciation to the sixth month of whose pregnancy?

Elizabeth; when the pregnant Mary later visited her, the baby in Elizabeth's womb leapt at the sound of Mary's greeting.

In John's Gospel, what did Jesus wash for his disciples during their last supper together?

Their feet; Peter first refused, then, told he would have no part with Jesus otherwise, asked him to wash his hands and head too.

In Matthew, how was Joseph told to marry Mary and name the child Jesus?

By an angel in a dream; Joseph had meant to quietly divorce Mary on finding her pregnant, but he woke and took her as his wife.

Jesus compared God's kingdom to which tiny seed that grows into a plant big enough for birds to shelter in?

A mustard seed; in Matthew, Jesus also said that faith as small as that seed could tell a mountain to move, and it would.

In Western churches, which feast on 6 January marks the Magi's visit to the child Jesus?

Epiphany; Eastern churches mark the day chiefly as Christ's baptism, and Greek priests bless the waters by throwing a cross into the sea or a river.

When Herod sent the Magi to find the child, what did he claim he also wanted to do?

Worship him; but the Magi, warned not to return to Herod, went back to their own country by another route.

According to Luke, what sacrifice did Mary and Joseph offer when they presented the infant Jesus at the Temple?

Two doves or pigeons; Leviticus asked a new mother for a lamb and a bird, letting her bring a second bird instead only if she couldn't afford the lamb.

Which elderly prophetess was in the Temple when the infant Jesus was presented?

Anna; a widow of great age who never left the Temple, she gave thanks and spoke about the child to all who were waiting for Jerusalem's redemption.

Simeon's prayer on seeing the infant Jesus in the Temple is known by what Latin name?

Nunc Dimittis, Latin for 'now you let depart'; Simeon had been promised he would not die until he saw the one God had sent, so he asked to go in peace.

In 1614, the astronomer Johannes Kepler tied the Magi's star to a series of conjunctions between which two planets?

Jupiter and Saturn; modern calculations show the planets stayed nearly a degree apart, about two Moon-widths, so the meeting would not have looked very striking.

The bones of the Magi are traditionally said to rest in a shrine in which city?

Cologne; the relics had been kept in Milan until Emperor Frederick Barbarossa sacked that city, after which they were carried off to Cologne.

Matthew says Herod's slaughter of the infants fulfilled which prophet's words about Rachel and her lost children?

Jeremiah; yet in Jeremiah the same passage goes on to promise Rachel that her children will return from the land of the enemy.

Dionysius Exiguus devised the Anno Domini count, saying years should no longer be numbered from which persecuting emperor?

Diocletian; yet the Coptic Orthodox Church still numbers its years from the start of his reign, calling it the Era of the Martyrs.

The Greek word Christos, from which 'Christ' derives, is a title meaning what?

The anointed one, translating the Hebrew Messiah; Israel consecrated its priests and rulers with holy oil, so 'anointed' marked someone God had chosen.

Matthew, Mark and Luke are called the Synoptic Gospels, from Greek words meaning what?

They are so alike in content, arrangement and language that they can be set side by side and compared.

In Matthew's parable of the talents, what did the servant given one talent do with it?

Buried it in the ground; afraid of his harsh master, he handed back just the one talent, which was taken from him and given to the servant with ten.

Which Roman writer recorded that Christ had been executed under Pontius Pilate?

Tacitus; he names Christ while describing how Nero, blamed for the great fire of Rome, shifted the blame onto Christians and had them cruelly punished.

When Rome made Judea a province under a prefect, which city became its administrative capital instead of Jerusalem?

Caesarea; Roman governors lived there and came up to Jerusalem mainly for the great festivals, bringing troops to keep order among the crowds.

By what name is Jesus most often referred to in the Quran?

ʿĪsā; the Quran honours him as a prophet and says he was neither killed nor crucified, though it was made to appear so.

According to Ahmadiyya belief, Jesus survived the crucifixion and died aged 120 where?

Kashmir, India; the movement's founder claimed that Roza Bal, a Srinagar shrine said locally to hold a holy man's grave, was really the tomb of Jesus.

Which ancient religion revered Jesus alongside Zoroaster, Buddha and its own founder?

Manichaeism; Augustine of Hippo was one of its followers for about nine years before he became a Christian.

Which Italian city's cathedral keeps a linen cloth that some believe bears the image of the crucified Jesus?

Turin; radiocarbon tests by three laboratories in 1988 dated the linen to between 1260 and 1390, though aspects of the test are still debated.

Which Brazilian city is watched over by Christ the Redeemer, a 30-metre statue of Jesus on Corcovado mountain?

Rio de Janeiro has stood beneath the statue's outstretched arms since 1931. Its concrete frame is clad in soapstone, and it was voted one of the New 7 Wonders of the World.

Which Renaissance artist painted The Last Supper on the dining-hall wall of a convent in Milan?

Leonardo da Vinci shows the moment just after Jesus says one of his apostles will betray him. He avoided true fresco on wet plaster, and the paint was already flaking by 1517.

At a wedding where the drink ran out, Jesus had servants fill stone jars with water that became what?

Wine filled the jars, and the steward told the bridegroom he had kept the best until last. John's Gospel tells it as the first miracle of Jesus.

How did friends get a paralysed man to Jesus when a crowd left no way into the house?

They lowered him through the roof, digging an opening above Jesus and letting the man down on his mat. Jesus first told him his sins were forgiven, then told him to get up and go home.

With what gesture did Judas identify Jesus to the armed crowd that the chief priests sent to arrest him?

A kiss was the signal, which is why the scene is also called the Betrayal of Christ. It came after the Last Supper and led directly to the arrest.

What did Pontius Pilate do before the crowd to show he took no blame for the death of Jesus?

Pilate washed his hands in public and declared himself innocent of the man's blood. Only Matthew's Gospel includes the scene.

Jesus's teaching to 'do to others as you would have them do to you' is known by what name?

The Golden Rule comes from the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus says it sums up the Law and the Prophets. Confucius had taught a 'do not' version about five centuries earlier.

In the parable of the Prodigal Son, what did the father order killed for a feast when his son returned?

The fatted calf was killed while the son was dressed in the finest robe, a ring and sandals. The party angered his older brother, who had been at work in the fields.

In medieval legend, which relic of Jesus did King Arthur's knights ride out to seek?

The Holy Grail became the cup of the Last Supper around 1200, when the poet Robert de Boron wrote that it also caught Christ's blood at the crucifixion. In the first Grail story it was just a wide, deep dish.

Which character in The Chronicles of Narnia did C. S. Lewis write as a parallel to Jesus, dying and rising again?

Aslan the lion lets the White Witch kill him on the Stone Table to save the traitor Edmund, then is brought back to life. His name is the Turkish word for lion.

As Jesus came up from the river after being baptised, a voice from heaven called him what?

My beloved Son, said the voice, as the Spirit came down on him like a dove. Matthew words it 'This is my beloved Son', while Mark and Luke have 'You are', spoken to Jesus himself.

Which fishing village on the Sea of Galilee did Jesus make the centre of his ministry after leaving Nazareth?

Capernaum stood on the lake's northern shore, and Matthew's Gospel simply calls it 'his own city'. A house there is held by tradition to have been the home of Peter.

In Mark's Gospel, what nickname did Jesus give the fishermen brothers James and John, two of his twelve apostles?

Sons of Thunder, or Boanerges, may reflect their fiery tempers. The brothers once offered to call down fire from heaven on a village, and Jesus rebuked them for it.

In the synagogue at Nazareth, Jesus stood and read a passage from which prophet, then applied it to himself?

Isaiah was the book, and Jesus told the congregation its prophecy was fulfilled in him. Luke says the outraged townspeople chased him to a hilltop to throw him off, but he slipped away.

Which synagogue ruler asked Jesus to save his dying 12-year-old daughter, whom Jesus raised saying 'Talitha koum'?

Jairus saw the mourners laugh when Jesus said the girl was not dead but asleep. The words Jesus then spoke to her mean 'Little girl, I say to you, get up!'

Which blind beggar kept shouting 'Son of David, have mercy on me!' until Jesus stopped and healed him?

Bartimaeus kept calling even as the crowd tried to silence him. His is the last healing in Mark's Gospel, and his name simply means 'son of Timaeus'.

A possessed man living among tombs told Jesus his name was what, adding 'for we are many'?

Legion was the reply. Jesus sent the spirits into a herd of about two thousand swine, which rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned.

A woman who had suffered bleeding for twelve years was healed when she came up behind Jesus and touched what?

His cloak was all she touched, yet Jesus stopped to ask who had done it, realising that power had gone out from him. Matthew and Luke say she reached only its fringe.

In John's Gospel, what did Jesus spread on the eyes of a man born blind before sending him to wash?

Mud, mixed with his own saliva, was what Jesus used. The man washed it off in the Pool of Siloam, whose name the Gospel says means 'Sent', and came back seeing.

Which two sisters from Bethany sent for Jesus when their brother Lazarus fell ill?

Mary and Martha had to wait, because Jesus arrived when Lazarus had already been in his tomb for four days. Martha told him that her brother would not have died had he come sooner.

In the Lord's Prayer that Jesus taught his disciples, the final request asks God to 'deliver us from' what?

Evil is named straight after the plea 'lead us not into temptation'. The prayer is recorded in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke but is absent from Mark.

In Jesus's parable of two builders, the foolish man's house fell in the storm because he built it on what?

Sand gave way when the rain, floods and winds came, while the wise man's house on rock stood firm. The parable closes the Sermon on the Mount as a call to act on its words.

Whom did Jesus say had put more into the temple treasury than all the wealthy donors that day?

A poor widow dropped in two small coins worth only a few cents. Jesus said the others gave from their surplus, while she gave everything she had to live on.

The disciples rebuked people for bringing whom to Jesus, before he said the kingdom of God belongs to such as these?

Little children were being brought for him to touch and bless. Mark says Jesus was much displeased with the disciples, then took the children up in his arms and blessed them.

What did Jesus tell a rich young man seeking eternal life to do with his possessions?

'Sell them, give to the poor' came after Jesus had first told him to obey the commandments. Hearing it, the man became very sad, because he was very wealthy.

Shown a Roman coin and asked about paying taxes, Jesus said to give back to whom what was his?

Caesar could have what bore his head and inscription, Jesus said, and God what is God's. The question was a trap set by hostile questioners, who went away marvelling at the reply.

In a short parable of Jesus about the kingdom of heaven, a merchant sells everything he owns to buy one what?

Pearl 'of great price' is how the old translation describes it. The story follows a twin parable in Matthew about hidden treasure, and both picture the kingdom as worth everything a person has.

In Jesus's parable of the rich fool, what did the wealthy farmer plan to build after a bumper harvest?

Bigger barns would let him take his ease, eat, drink and be merry for years. In the story God calls him foolish, because his soul is required of him that very night.

In Jesus's picture of the last judgement, a shepherd sets the sheep on his right and which animals on his left?

Goats stand for those who ignored people in need. The sheep are welcomed for giving food to the hungry, taking in strangers and visiting prisoners, kindnesses the king says were done to him.

Jesus said that not even which Old Testament king, in all his glory, was dressed like the lilies of the field?

Solomon, by far the wealthiest king of Israel, could not match wildflowers that never labour or make clothing. Jesus used the picture to tell his listeners not to worry about what to wear.

Which Old Testament prophet's three days inside a great fish did Jesus call a sign of his own burial?

Jonah spent three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, and Jesus said the Son of Man would spend as long 'in the heart of the earth'.

John's Gospel opens by calling Jesus 'the Word', a translation of which Greek term?

Logos can mean word, discourse or reason, and theologians often leave it untranslated. The Gospel begins: 'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.'

Jesus taught that anyone slapped on the right side of the face should offer the attacker what?

The other cheek, he said in the Sermon on the Mount. Scholars note that a right-handed attacker could reach the right cheek only with the back of the hand, the more dishonouring blow.

Jesus warned that no one can serve two masters, naming God and what, called Mammon in older Bibles?

Money is the rival master in the saying, which older translations leave as 'Mammon'. The verse makes explicit that a person cannot pursue both material goods and spiritual well-being.

What animal did Jesus call Herod Antipas when warned that the ruler of Galilee was plotting to kill him?

A fox was his word for the tetrarch who had John the Baptist executed. Jesus refused to flee, saying a prophet could not perish away from Jerusalem.

What word of praise, first a Hebrew cry for help, did crowds shout as Jesus rode into Jerusalem?

Hosanna comes from a plea for rescue in Psalm 118. By the time of the Gospels it had become a shout of jubilation.

During the arrest of Jesus, what did a disciple cut off the high priest's servant with a sword?

His ear was cut off, and Luke alone says Jesus healed the man. Only John's Gospel names the swordsman as Peter and the servant as Malchus.

After his arrest, Jesus was tried by night before which Jewish judicial council in Jerusalem?

Sanhedrin members found him guilty of blasphemy and of claiming to be the Messiah. Only the Roman governor could order an execution, so the case went on to Pontius Pilate.

In Matthew's Gospel, who sent Pontius Pilate a message to leave Jesus alone after suffering in a dream?

His wife sent the warning while he sat on the judgement seat, calling Jesus a righteous man. Later tradition named her Procula, and Eastern Orthodox Christians venerate her as a saint.

Which Latin phrase records Pilate's words as he showed the scourged Jesus to the crowd before the crucifixion?

Ecce homo means 'behold the man' and comes from the Latin Vulgate version of John's Gospel. The scene is a standard part of art cycles illustrating the Passion.

Golgotha, the site outside Jerusalem's walls where Jesus was crucified, has a name meaning what?

Place of the Skull reached English as 'Calvary' through the Latin Bible. The Gospels call it only a 'place'; describing it as a hill is a tradition traced back to the 6th century.

What did the soldiers at the cross do to decide who would keep the seamless tunic of Jesus?

They cast lots because the tunic was woven in one piece and could not be divided like his other clothes. John's Gospel says this fulfilled a line of Scripture about lots cast for a garment.

After Jesus died on the cross, a Roman soldier pierced his side with what weapon to make sure he was dead?

A spear was used instead of breaking his legs, the usual way to hasten death on a cross. John's Gospel says blood and water gushed out, and later tradition named the soldier Longinus.

On the cross, Jesus told the repentant thief beside him, 'Today you will be with me' where?

In paradise was the promise, made to a man who had only asked to be remembered. Later tradition named him Dismas and counts him a saint, while the thief who taunted Jesus became Gestas.

What did the women who came to anoint the body of Jesus find already moved from the tomb's entrance?

A large stone had closed the tomb, and in Mark the women had been asking who would roll it away for them. Matthew adds an earthquake and an angel who rolled it back and sat on it.

The risen Jesus's instruction to 'make disciples of all nations' is known by what name?

The Great Commission is given on a mountain in Galilee at the close of Matthew's Gospel. It tells his followers to baptise in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Which persecutor of the first Christians became an apostle after a vision of Jesus on the road to Damascus?

Paul, who also went by Saul, was travelling with a mandate from the high priest to arrest followers of Jesus. He had never known Jesus before the crucifixion.

Which Roman emperor, who moved to a villa on Capri, reigned when Jesus preached and was crucified?

Tiberius was the second Roman emperor, ruling from AD 14 to 37. The execution was carried out under the authority of his governor in Judaea, Pontius Pilate.

Scholars agree that Jesus usually spoke and taught in which language, the everyday tongue of Galilee?

Aramaic was a common language of Roman Judaea, and Nazareth was an Aramaic-speaking village. Mark's Gospel preserves a few of his words in it, such as 'Talitha koum'.

Outside which village did Jesus stop a funeral procession and raise a widow's only son to life?

Nain is where he told the dead man, 'Young man, I say to thee, arise!' It is the first of three Gospel miracles in which Jesus raises the dead.