Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.”
Then the angel said, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news! But now, since you didn’t believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time.” Luke 1:18-20 NLT
Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”
The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. Luke 1:34-35 NLT
For a long time I was troubled by these two Christmas passages. Both people questioned the revelations given to them, but Zechariah gets punished for asking a question and Mary does not. What is fair about that?
Then I looked a little more closely at the questions, and I saw the difference. Do you see it? Zechariah asked for proof that Gabriel was telling the truth. He asked whether this was really going to happen? Mary did not ask if the promise was going to happen, but only how it was going to happen.
Here is the difference between doubt and faith. Doubt says, “I will not believe, unless you prove it to my satisfaction.” Faith says, “I believe, but I wonder how such a thing can happen?” An old woman get pregnant? You’re going to have to prove that one to me. A young virgin get pregnant when she has had no contact with a man? I wonder how that will work? These two questions that seem so close together are really miles apart. One leads to death and the other to life. Doubt puts me in charge, and faith puts God in charge.
Does faith ever question? Of course it does, and God delights in those kinds of questions. Note the dialogue between Moses and God at the burning bush. God is happy to answer Moses’ questions, and in the end, Moses has no choice: he must obey. Don’t hesitate to ask “how” questions; it’s the “whether” questions that are deadly.
Called To Be Transformed 