Matthew Bible Trivia: 45 Questions and Answers for Kids

These 45 Matthew Bible trivia questions cover the whole first Gospel -- the wise men, the Sermon on the Mount, the miracles, the parables, and the empty tomb -- with an answer and verse reference after every question. They're sorted into easy (ages 5-8), medium (ages 9-12), and hard (teens and adults) rounds so the whole family can play at once.

Matthew is the perfect Gospel for trivia because it's stuffed with stories found nowhere else: Peter walking on water, a coin in a fish's mouth, Pilate's wife's dream, and guards fainting at the tomb. And it holds one of the best trick questions in the whole Bible -- see question 33.

What Is the Book of Matthew About?

The book of Matthew tells the story of Jesus as the promised Messiah -- the King the Old Testament pointed to -- from his birth in Bethlehem to his resurrection and the Great Commission. It opens with a genealogy tracing Jesus back through King David to Abraham (Matthew 1:1), and again and again it says "this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet," stitching the two testaments together. That's why Matthew sits first in the New Testament: it's the bridge.

The Gospel is formally anonymous, but early church tradition attributes it to Matthew, the tax collector Jesus called away from his booth (Matthew 9:9) -- also known as Levi -- who became one of the twelve apostles. Matthew is famous for gathering Jesus' teaching into big blocks, most famously the Sermon on the Mount (chapters 5-7), and for its signature phrase "the kingdom of heaven," which appears in no other Gospel. It matters because it answers the question every kid eventually asks: how does the Old Testament story connect to Jesus?

Easy Matthew Trivia Questions (Ages 5-8)

1. In what town was Jesus born? Bethlehem in Judea (Matthew 2:1)

1. What did the wise men follow to find young Jesus? A star (Matthew 2:2, 9)

1. What three gifts did the wise men bring? Gold, frankincense, and myrrh (Matthew 2:11)

1. Who baptized Jesus in the Jordan River? John the Baptist (Matthew 3:13)

1. What came down from heaven like a dove when Jesus was baptized? The Spirit of God (Matthew 3:16)

1. What job was Matthew doing when Jesus said "Follow me"? Collecting taxes -- he was sitting at the tax collector's booth (Matthew 9:9)

1. How many disciples did Jesus choose? Twelve (Matthew 10:1-2)

1. How many loaves and fish did Jesus use to feed more than 5,000 people? Five loaves and two fish (Matthew 14:17-21)

1. Which disciple got out of the boat and walked on water toward Jesus? Peter (Matthew 14:29)

1. What animal did Jesus ride into Jerusalem? A donkey (Matthew 21:7)

1. What did the crowds shout as Jesus rode into Jerusalem? "Hosanna to the Son of David!" (Matthew 21:9)

1. Which disciple betrayed Jesus? Judas Iscariot (Matthew 26:14-16)

1. What happened on the third day after Jesus died on the cross? He rose from the dead (Matthew 28:5-6)

1. Who went to the tomb on Sunday morning and met the angel? Mary Magdalene and the other Mary (Matthew 28:1, 5)

1. What promise did Jesus make in the very last verse of Matthew? "I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:20)

Medium Matthew Trivia Questions (Ages 9-12)

1. What name for Jesus means "God with us"? Immanuel (Matthew 1:23)

1. Where did Joseph take Mary and Jesus to escape King Herod? Egypt (Matthew 2:13-14)

1. How did God warn Joseph that Herod wanted to kill the child? An angel appeared to Joseph in a dream (Matthew 2:13)

1. What did John the Baptist wear and eat in the wilderness? Clothes of camel's hair with a leather belt; he ate locusts and wild honey (Matthew 3:4)

1. How long did Jesus fast in the wilderness before the devil tempted him? Forty days and forty nights (Matthew 4:2)

1. How did Jesus answer every one of the devil's temptations? With Scripture -- "It is written..." (Matthew 4:4, 7, 10)

1. Where did Jesus give his most famous sermon? On a mountainside -- the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1-2)

1. Finish this Beatitude: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called..." "...children of God" (Matthew 5:9)

1. What two everyday things did Jesus say his followers are? The salt of the earth and the light of the world (Matthew 5:13-14)

1. What prayer did Jesus teach in the Sermon on the Mount? The Lord's Prayer -- "Our Father in heaven..." (Matthew 6:9-13)

1. What did Jesus tell us to look at when we're tempted to worry? The birds of the air and the flowers of the field (Matthew 6:26-28)

1. What is the Golden Rule? "Do to others what you would have them do to you" (Matthew 7:12)

1. In Jesus' parable, the wise man built his house on what? The rock -- and it stood through the storm (Matthew 7:24-25)

1. When Jesus asked "Who do you say I am?", what did Peter answer? "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:16)

1. Peter asked if he should forgive someone seven times. What did Jesus say? Not seven times, but seventy-seven times (Matthew 18:21-22)

Hard Matthew Trivia Questions (Teens and Adults)

1. How does the book of Matthew begin? With a genealogy of Jesus, traced from Abraham through King David (Matthew 1:1-2)

1. Matthew arranges that genealogy into sets of how many generations? Three sets of fourteen (Matthew 1:17)

1. How many wise men does the Bible say visited Jesus? Trick question -- Matthew never gives a number; we assume three because of the three gifts (Matthew 2:1, 11)

1. Who appeared with Jesus at the transfiguration? Moses and Elijah (Matthew 17:3)

1. Where did Jesus tell Peter to find a coin to pay the temple tax? In the mouth of the first fish he caught (Matthew 17:27)

1. In the parable of the talents, what did the servant with one talent do with it? He buried it in the ground (Matthew 25:18)

1. In the parable of the sheep and the goats, what does the King say about helping "the least of these"? "Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me" (Matthew 25:40)

1. How much was Judas paid to betray Jesus? Thirty pieces of silver (Matthew 26:15)

1. What warning did Jesus give Peter on the night of his arrest? "Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times" (Matthew 26:34)

1. Who sent Pilate a message saying, "Don't have anything to do with that innocent man" after a troubling dream? Pilate's wife -- a detail found only in Matthew (Matthew 27:19)

1. What did Pilate do in front of the crowd to claim he was innocent of Jesus' blood? He washed his hands (Matthew 27:24)

1. What was bought with the thirty silver coins Judas threw back? The potter's field, called the Field of Blood (Matthew 27:6-8)

1. What happened to the temple curtain at the moment Jesus died? It was torn in two from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51)

1. What happened to the guards at the tomb on resurrection morning? There was an earthquake, an angel rolled back the stone, and the guards shook and became like dead men (Matthew 28:2-4)

1. What is the Great Commission? "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19)

How to Use These Questions

Run the easy round at dinner, hand the medium round to your grade-schoolers, and save questions 31-45 for when the adults get cocky at family Bible trivia night -- question 33 alone will humble most grown-ups. In the car, the questions work in story order: birth, baptism, sermon, miracles, holy week, resurrection, so each answer sets up the next one.

For catch-up before you play, the fastest prep is a story refresher: Matthew the tax collector for the author, the wise men for the opening chapters, and the Sermon on the Mount for the big middle block. Our video lessons at Faithful Kids walk kids through these same stories with a short video and a quiz after each episode. When you've mastered Matthew, move to the next Gospel with our Mark Bible trivia or zoom out with New Testament trivia for kids.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who wrote the book of Matthew?

The Gospel itself never names its author, but early church tradition attributes it to Matthew, the tax collector Jesus called to be one of the twelve apostles (Matthew 9:9), also called Levi. Because the book is formally anonymous, scholars debate the question, but the traditional attribution goes back to the earliest centuries of the church.

How many chapters does Matthew have?

Matthew has 28 chapters, making it the longest of the four Gospels by chapter count. It's also the first book of the New Testament, opening with a genealogy that connects Jesus straight back to Abraham and David.

What is the most famous passage in Matthew?

The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) is the book's most famous section -- it contains the Beatitudes, the Lord's Prayer, and the Golden Rule all in three chapters. The Christmas story of the wise men (Matthew 2) and the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) are close behind.

What makes Matthew different from the other Gospels?

Matthew is the Gospel most focused on showing Jesus as the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy, and it's the only Gospel that uses the phrase "the kingdom of heaven." Several famous stories appear only in Matthew: the visit of the wise men, Peter walking on water, the coin in the fish's mouth, Pilate's wife's dream, and the guards at the tomb.

Why is Matthew the first book of the New Testament?

Matthew comes first because it works as a bridge between the testaments -- it opens with an Old Testament-style genealogy and constantly quotes the prophets to show Jesus fulfilling them. A reader finishing Malachi and starting Matthew steps from promise to fulfillment without missing a beat.

What age can kids start learning the book of Matthew?

Kids as young as 4 or 5 can learn Matthew's big stories -- the wise men, the feeding of the 5,000, and Easter morning. Ages 8-12 are ready for the Sermon on the Mount and the parables, and teens can dig into the fulfillment prophecies and the trial narrative.