The Last Scribe
Story scene · The Life of Jesus · Matthew 1, Luke 2, Matthew 2
The birth of Jesus as a game: the dream, the manger and the star
Go up with Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem, where there was “no room for them in the inn”. Hear the angel who came to the shepherds by night, and follow the star with the wise men to the house where the young Child was.
No download. Plays in any modern browser on a phone, tablet or computer. Revelation 1 and the Baptism of Jesus are free to try first.
What you will see
Bethlehem, told from Joseph’s dream to the wise men’s gifts
You arrive as a Scribe, sent to witness the story and write it down. The birth of Jesus is told from three passages at once, Matthew 1, Luke 2 and Matthew 2, and the scene is one map you can walk end to end. Seven people stand on it: Joseph, Mary, an angel of the Lord, a shepherd of Bethlehem, Herod the king, a chief priest of Jerusalem and a wise man from the East. Each speaks only from their own verses.
Seven things wait to be found and read. The prophecy of the name Emmanuel, “God with us”. The decree of Caesar Augustus that sent everyone to his own city. The inn with no room, and the manger where the Babe lay “wrapped in swaddling clothes”. His star in the East, the house where the wise men found the Child with Mary His mother, and their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. The quest takes you through them in order, from the angel in Joseph’s dream to the shepherds in the field, to the priests who named Bethlehem from the prophet, and on with the star to the house.
The good tidings are told as Luke tells them: “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.” When you have seen it all, step into the quiz zone and nineteen questions ask what you saw.
The story, in order
The quest, Come and See the Child, has eight steps, and they follow the passages in order. Nothing is added to the text; the steps are a way of making sure you miss none of it.
- Hear what the angel told Joseph in a dream.
- Read what the prophet said His name would be.
- Learn what brought Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem.
- Find the Babe lying in a manger.
- Hear the good tidings the angel brought by night.
- Ask a shepherd what they saw and heard.
- Learn from the priests where the Christ was to be born.
- Follow the star with a wise man to the house.
Who you meet
Seven people and voices stand in the scene. Each speaks only from their own place in the passages.
- Joseph — the just man betrothed to Mary, who tells you of the angel in his dream and the name he was to give the Child.
- Mary — the mother of Jesus, who tells of the road to Bethlehem and the manger, and “pondered them in her heart”.
- An Angel of the Lord — the messenger who brought the shepherds “good tidings of great joy” and the sign of the manger.
- A Shepherd of Bethlehem — one of those keeping watch by night, who heard the heavenly host and went to see.
- Herod the King — the troubled king who asked the wise men when the star appeared and sent them to search for the Child.
- A Chief Priest of Jerusalem — one of those Herod asked, who answers from the prophet that the Christ would be born in Bethlehem of Judaea.
- A Wise Man from the East — one of those who saw “his star in the east”, followed it to the house, and went home another way.
What you find
Walk up to any of these and the game reads you the verses it comes from, in the King James Version.
- Immanuel, God With Us (Matthew 1:22–23)
- The Decree of Caesar Augustus (Luke 2:1–3)
- No Room in the Inn (Luke 2:7)
- The Manger (Luke 2:16)
- His Star (Matthew 2:1–2)
- The House Where the Child Was (Matthew 2:11)
- Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh (Matthew 2:11)
The angel’s words to the shepherds
“And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:10–11, King James Version
Every verse the game quotes is the KJV. Where a character speaks in their own words, the dialogue is written from the passages and checked against our doctrinal rules before release. The about page says plainly how we read the Bible.
Try five of the nineteen
The Birth of Jesus quiz questions, with answers
Five real questions from the The Birth of Jesus quiz, in the game's own words. In the game the options are shuffled every time, and you need 70% to pass.
1. How did the angel of the Lord speak to Joseph?
- In a dream
- Through the prophet Simeon
- In the temple
- In a vision at noon
Show the answer
A. In a dream While he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a dream.
2. Why did Joseph go to Bethlehem to be registered?
- The angel told him to go
- He had a house there
- He was of the house and lineage of David
- Mary was born there
Show the answer
C. He was of the house and lineage of David Bethlehem was the city of David, and Joseph was of the house and lineage of David.
3. What sign did the angel give the shepherds?
- A star standing over a house
- A Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger
- A dove resting on the stable
- A rainbow over Bethlehem
Show the answer
B. A Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger The angel said, “You; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.”
4. What did Mary do with all these things?
- She wrote them in a book
- She told them to Herod
- She forgot them
- She kept them and pondered them in her heart
Show the answer
D. She kept them and pondered them in her heart While all who heard marveled, Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.
5. Where were the wise men when they found the young Child?
- In Herod’s palace
- In a house
- In the temple
- At the manger
Show the answer
B. In a house “When they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother.” By then the Child was no longer in the manger.
Right answers pay 10 XP each and a perfect score pays 50 more. In a room, everyone answers the same quiz and sees how the others did. More on how the quiz works.
Story facts
- 40
- verses from Matthew 1, Luke 2, Matthew 2, every one covered by something you see, hear or read
- 19
- quiz questions, each tied to a verse
- 7
- people and voices to speak with
- 7
- things to find and read
- 1–6
- players in a room; solo play is fine too
- KJV
- every verse quoted from the King James Version
How to play it
- Open the game in your browser and make an account. A child under 13 gives a parent's email instead of their own, and the parent confirms before the child can play with anyone else; see the page for parents.
- Play the short intro story in the Archivery, the library where the Scribe finds the Book. It is free and takes a few minutes.
- Open the world map and choose The Birth of Jesus. To play with others, start a room and share its code, which looks like SCRIBE-7K4P2Q; up to six people can join from their own devices.
- Walk the map, speak with everyone, read everything, then step into the quiz zone.
Free, and with a subscription
The Birth of Jesus is one of the 14 story scenes, in the series The Life of Jesus. It is part of the subscription ($9.99 a month or $79.99 a year), and the story scenes are open from the first day of it: they do not wait on the road through the books. See pricing.
Free forever, for every player: the intro story, Revelation 1, the story scene The Baptism of Jesus, and four open lands to walk with other players: the City of the Last Days, the Garden of Eden, Judea in the days of Jesus, and Patmos and the Seven Churches. Revelation 1 is a good first chapter to try before you subscribe.
More to play
- After: The Baptism of Jesus — Go down to the Jordan, where John the Baptist cries, “Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” See Jesus come up out of the water, the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and hear the voice from heaven, as all four Gospels tell it.
- Every chapter and story with a page: the list of what you can play.
Go even unto Bethlehem.
The birth of Jesus takes about twenty minutes alone, a little longer with friends in a room.
Start with the free chapters