"And Zacharias said to the angel, 'How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years'...Then Mary said to the angel, 'How can this be, since I do not know a man?'" vv.18,34
Read chapter 1
Two visits by the angle Gabriel, two ordinary people, two miraculous conceptions yet one response with two different outcomes.
Have you ever compared the response of Zacharias and Mary after the angle Gabriel told them they were going to have a child? The response seems basically the same: "How shall I know this? For I am an old man..." and "How can this be, since I don't know a man?" But the outcome for asking this question is different. For Zacharias it seems too late and for Mary it seems too early. Because of Zacharias' doubt he becomes mute (v.20) but in Mary's response she only questions to know better what he means.
Zacharias wants a sign to believe, Mary wants to obey whatever the word of the Lord says (v.38). Zacharias kept the law meticulously but shows lack of faith. Just because a person appears religious doesn't always mean they have great faith. You would assume that Zacharias would have know the story of Abraham and Sarah having a child in their old age, so how could he have doubted so? Was it just a story to him or really real?
Faith is what God seeks than works; "without faith it is impossible to please God" (Hebrews 11:6).
Do you see your faith similar to Zacharias or Mary?
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