Today, I am reading and commenting on  Luke 1.

One of the things that we often note about this passage is the fact that both Zechariah and Mary questioned the message which Gabriel gave them.  But Zechariah was made mute for questioning while Mary received an explanation.  Why was Zechariah punished but Mary had her question answered?  Both questions expressed at least an element of doubt that Gabriel’s prophecy could come true.  Today, when I thought about it I realized that both Zechariah and Mary got the same response.  They each asked a question, and they each got a complete answer to that question.  Zechariah asked, “How can I be sure of this?”  The angel told him that he could be sure because he would be unable to speak until it took place.  Zechariah asked for a sign, and Gabriel gave him one.  Mary asked a much safer question, “How will this be since I am a virgin?”  Mary asked a procedural question, so Gabriel gave her a procedural answer.  I will repeat here, it seems to me that both Zechariah and Mary were equally doubtful of the message they received.  Who wouldn’t be? Zechariah asked for a sign, and he was given a sign.  Mary asked for an explanation, and she was given an explanation.  I would say that this difference indicates that we need to be careful how we express our doubts and what we ask God to do to relieve our doubts.  Except that I think Zechariah was grateful for the sign God gave him.  God will give us the answer we need, and we will be blessed by the way He gives us that answer.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.