WEEK 26: Study Matthew, Chapter 24

This week (February 28 thru March 6), please study Matthew, Chapter 24.

If you want to read the chapter online, click here. (Free website Biblegateway.Com)

Download the MP3.

If you'd like to read a commentary on the chapter, click here. (Free website, ChristNotes.Com)

Study Tip: Are you making use of all of the tools available to you as a quizzer? We know everyone has a Bible. Are you also listening to the audio each week? Are you reading thru the commentary? Are you completing the puzzles? And most of all, are you getting your friends and families involved with your studying regimen? If you're not using everything at your disposal, you're probably not getting the best results.

Upcoming Events:
- Saturday, March 16 - Quiz Meet in Trumbull, CT

MUSICAL INTERLUDE: Every Good Thing

SCOREBOARD: February 20 Practice

Photos from the Quiz Meet

As usual, the paparazzi were out and about this Saturday. Click on the images below to see all of their photos.

Coach Mark's Photos



Coach Matt's Photos

REFERENCE QUESTIONS: Matthew 23

Remember, the full list of Reference Questions can always be found in the sidebar or at this link.

QUESTION:  According  to  Matthew  23:6, They  love  what?
ANSWER:  The  place  of  honor  at  banquets  and  the  most  important  seats  in  the  synagogues. 6:5; 23:7

QUESTION:  According  to  Matthew  23:7, They  love  what?
ANSWER:  To  be  greeted  in  the  marketplaces  and  to  have  men  call  them  'Rabbi.' 6:5; 23:6

QUIZ MEET: Lunchtime #biblequizzing

QUIZ PAD: Quizzing #biblequizzing

QUIZ MEET: Quizzing begins. #biblequizzing

QUIZ MEET: Opening ceremonies. #biblequizzing

QUIZ MEET: Arrival

FINISH THE VERSE: Matthew 23

Remember, the full list of FTV's can always be found at this link. The // in the verse marks the minimum number of words you need from the FTV to uniquely identify it.

QUESTION:  But you are // not…

ANSWER:  ...to be called "Rabbi," for you have only one Master and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth "father," for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called "teacher," for you have one Teacher, the Christ.  (Matthew 23:08-10 )

QUESTION:  O // Jerusalem, Jerusalem,…

ANSWER:  ...you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.  (Matthew 23:37 )

QUESTION:  The greatest // among you...

ANSWER:  ...will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.  (Matthew 23:11-12 )

REMINDER: Quiz Meet is TOMORROW!

The Quiz Meet is tomorrow!  Double-check your travel prep now.

LEAVING THE CHURCH:  7:00 AM (seats are first-come, first-served)
LOCATION:  Cresskill, NJ
COST:  $5 for Lunch
RETURNING:  ~3:00 PM (depending on traffic)

WEEK 25: Study Matthew, Chapter 23

This week (February 21 thru February 27), please study Matthew, Chapter 23.

If you want to read the chapter online, click here. (Free website Biblegateway.Com)

Download the MP3.

If you'd like to read a commentary on the chapter, click here. (Free website, BibleStudyTools.Com)

Study Tip: It's not just Holy Week in this week's chapter.  We also start the run-up to Easter this week (it's March 31 this year).  That means lots of special events at church and at home.  Be sure to set aside time now for your studying, or it may be forgotten in the fun and excitement.

Upcoming Events:
- Saturday, February 23 - Quiz Meet in Cresskill, NJ

TOPICS FROM PRACTICE: Chapters & Verses

The last couple of chapters, you may have noticed that the break between chapters doesn't quite follow the action.  In both chapter 21 and chapter 22, the first section would probably fit better in the chapter before.  (Although, for quizzers, you're probably just as happy not to have another dozen verses to add to your study total!)

So where did the chapters and verses come from?  Did the Biblical writers actually insert them into their original writings?  Wouldn't it have been weird to read a letter from your buddy Paul and see him break it up into "verses"?

There's an old joke among Bible scholars that the chapters and verses of scripture were chosen by "a drunk monk on horseback".  But the process was a little bit more scholarly than that.

The chapter divisions commonly used today were developed by Stephen Langton, an Archbishop of Canterbury. Langton put the modern chapter divisions into place in around A.D. 1227. The Wycliffe English Bible of 1382 was the first Bible to use this chapter pattern. Since the Wycliffe Bible, nearly all Bible translations have followed Langton's chapter divisions.
The Hebrew Old Testament was divided into verses by a Jewish rabbi by the name of Nathan in A.D. 1448. Robert Estienne, who was also known as Stephanus, was the first to divide the New Testament into standard numbered verses, in 1555. Stephanus essentially used Nathan's verse divisions for the Old Testament. Since that time, beginning with the Geneva Bible, the chapter and verse divisions employed by Stephanus have been accepted into nearly all the Bible versions.

MUSICAL INTERLUDE: Reckless

SCOREBOARD: February 13 Practice

REFERENCE QUESTIONS: Matthew 22

Remember, the full list of Reference Questions can always be found in the sidebar or at this link.

QUESTION:  According  to  Matthew 22:2, The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  like  what?
ANSWER:  A  king  who  prepared  a  wedding  banquet  for  his  son. 13:24, 31, 33, 44, 45, 47; 18:23; 20:1

QUESTION:  According  to  Matthew  22:29, You  do  not  know  what?

ANSWER:  The  Scriptures  or  the  power  of  God. 24:42; 25:13

FINISH THE VERSE: Matthew 22

Remember, the full list of FTV's can always be found at this link. The // in the verse marks the minimum number of words you need from the FTV to uniquely identify it.

QUESTION:  But about // the resurrection...
ANSWER:  ...of the dead - have you not read what God said to you, ëI am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacobí? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.  (Matthew 22:31-32 )

QUESTION:  Jesus replied: "Love // the Lord...
ANSWER:  ...your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.í This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ëLove your neighbor as yourself.í All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."  (Matthew 22:37-40 )

WEEKLY COMIC: Just One Request

WEEK 24: Study Matthew, Chapter 22

This week (February 14 thru February 20), please study Matthew, Chapter 22.

If you want to read the chapter online, click here. (Free website Biblegateway.Com)

Download the MP3.

If you'd like to read a commentary on the chapter, click here. (Free website, ChristNotes.Com)

Study Tip: Tired of reading about complex tricks to improve your studying? Okay, let's keep it simple.  How often are you reading the chapter for each week? If you answered LESS than "twice a day", then YOU ARE NOT doing the minimum. Every quizzer should be reading the week's chapter AT LEAST twice a day EVERY DAY. This simple commitment can change you from a useless quizzer to one who makes the difference between a win and loss for your team.

Upcoming Events:
- Saturday, February 23 - Quiz Meet in Cresskill, NJ

Practice is ON for tonight!

It's been a week of cancellations and delayed openings.  But you have nothing to worry about for Bible Quiz Team.  We'll be meeting tonight at our usual time.  See you then!

MUSICAL INTERLUDE: One Drop

SCOREBOARD: February 6 Practice

REFERENCE QUESTIONS: Matthew 21

Remember, the full list of Reference Questions can always be found in the sidebar or at this link.

QUESTION:  According  to  Matthew  21:9, Blessed  is  who?
ANSWER:  He  who  comes  in  the  name  of  the  Lord! 11:6; 23:39

QUESTION:  According  to  Matthew  21:13, What  is  written?
ANSWER:  "My  house  will  be  called  a  house  of  prayer."

QUESTION:  According  to  Matthew  21:14, He  healed  whom?
ANSWER:  (Them) The  blind  and  the  lame. 4:24; 12:15; 15:30; 19:2

QUESTION:  According  to  Matthew  21:15, Who  were  indignant?
ANSWER:  The  chief  priests  and  the  teachers  of  the  law. 20:24; 26:8

QUESTION:  According  to  Matthew  21:18, He  was  hungry  when?
ANSWER:  Early  in  the  morning, as  he  was  on  his  way  back  to  the  city. 4:2

BONUS COMIC: Old Testament Fun for New England Weather!

If anyone knows the original source for this comic, please let me know!

FINISH THE VERSE: Matthew 21

Remember, the full list of FTV's can always be found at this link. The // in the verse marks the minimum number of words you need from the FTV to uniquely identify it.

QUESTION:  A // very large crowd...

ANSWER:  ...spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, "Hosanna to the Son of David!"  "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"  "Hosanna in the highest!"  (Matthew 21:08-09 )

QUESTION:  If you believe, // you will...

ANSWER:  ...receive whatever you ask for in prayer.  (Matthew 21:22 )

QUESTION:  Jesus entered // the temple area...

ANSWER:  ...and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. "It is written," he said to them, "ëMy house will be called a house of prayer,í but you are making it a ëden of robbers.í"  (Matthew 21:12-13 )

QUESTION:  This took // place to fulfill...

ANSWER:  ...what was spoken through the prophet:  "Say to the Daughter of Zion, ëSee, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.í"  (Matthew 21:04-05 )

WEEKLY COMIC: Check your math!

WEEK 23: Study Matthew, Chapter 21

This week (February 7 thru February 13), please study Matthew, Chapter 21.

If you want to read the chapter online, click here. (Free website Biblegateway.Com)

Download the MP3.

If you'd like to read a commentary on the chapter, click here. (Free website, BibleGateway.Com)

Study Tip: Do read through the text of scripture and find at the end that you know barely more than you did at the beginning? Do you envy those who can read it once, and be able to quiz effectively? Different people learn in different ways. Some people can do it by simply reading, others by listening. But you may be a learner who needs to really engage the text. Consider taking notes as you read - note down really interesting sections, questions that the text raises, notable phrases, etc. At the end, you will have applied not only your eyes but all the parts of your brain, and the learning may very well be far more effective. Oh, and don't forget to call, e-mail, or speak to the coaches, your parents, or the pastors to get the answers to those questions you had.

Upcoming Events:
- Saturday, February 23 - Quiz Meet in Cresskill, NJ

TOPICS FROM PRACTICE: Biblical Hours

Okay, this one isn't a question that came up in practice, but one that I think might come up in the next practice.  In this week's chapter, we read...

About the third hour he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing....He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing. About the eleventh hour he went out and found still others standing around...
Matthew 20:3-6 (NIV 1984)

...but that kind of timekeeping doesn't sound anything like what we have today.  So how did Jesus (and Jews of his era) keep time?

The Jewish day was divided by sunset and sunrise (notice sunset comes first).  There were 12 hours in the day and 12 hours in the night.  For the daytime, they were roughly:

1st hour - 7:00 AM
2nd hour - 8:00 AM
3rd hour - 9:00 AM
4th hour - 10:00 AM
5th hour - 11:00 AM
6th hour - 12:00 PM
7th hour - 1:00 PM
8th hour - 2:00 PM
9th hour - 3:00 PM
10th hour - 4:00 PM
11th hour - 5:00 PM
12th hour - 6:00 PM

So, the verses could be translated...

About 9 AM he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing....He went out again about noon and 3 PM and did the same thing. About 5 PM he went out and found still others standing around...Matthew 20:3-6 (NIV 1984)

Source:  Here

MUSICAL INTERLUDE: Run

SCOREBOARD: January 30 Practice

REFERENCE QUESTIONS: Matthew 20

Remember, the full list of Reference Questions can always be found in the sidebar or at this link.

QUESTION:  According  to  Matthew  20:1, The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  like  what?

ANSWER:  A  landowner  who  went  out  early  in  the  morning  to  hire  men  to  work  in  his  vineyard. 13:24, 31, 33, 44, 45, 47; 18:23; 22:2
 
QUESTION:  According  to  Matthew  20:18, The  Son  of  Man  will  be  what?
ANSWER:  Betrayed  to  the  chief  priests  and  the  teachers  of  the  law. 12:40; 26:2
 
QUESTION:  According  to  Matthew  20:24, Who  were  indignant?
ANSWER:  (They) The  ten  (with  the  two  brothers). 21:15; 26:8
 
QUESTION:  According  to  Matthew  20:31, They  shouted  all  the  louder  what?
ANSWER:  "Lord, Son  of  David, have  mercy  on  us!" 27:23
 
QUESTION:  According  to  Matthew  20:34, Jesus  had  compassion  on  whom?
ANSWER:  (Them) Two  blind  men. 9:36; 14:14

FINISH THE VERSE: Matthew 20

Remember, the full list of FTV's can always be found at this link. The // in the verse marks the minimum number of words you need from the FTV to uniquely identify it.

QUESTION:  Not // so with you...

ANSWER:  ...Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave -  just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.  (Matthew 20:26-28 )

WEEKLY COMIC: How difficult is it?