Are we asking the right question...

I was reading Luke 1, the account of Gabriel appearing to a man and then later, to a woman. The accounts are very similar….

Gabriel appears to Zechariah who is old and his wife, Elizabeth, has not been able to have children. They are way past childbearing years, but Gabriel says, “Don’t be afraid. God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth will give you a son.”

Gabriel also appears to Mary, who is a virgin and biologically, means she couldn’t be pregnant. But Gabriel said to her, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you! Don’t be afraid, for you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son and you will name him Jesus.”

Now here is where the two stories differ. Both Zechariah and Mary ask Gabriel….”Huh?”

But Gabriel only scolds Zechariah….Gabriel makes it so that this father-to-be can’t speak. Mary, on the other hand, gets an explanation and an encouraging word that her relative, Elizabeth, was pregnant, too.

So what’s the difference?  Why does Zechariah get punished for his lack of faith and Mary doesn’t.  Look closely at what Zechariah really says….”How can I be sure this will happen?” Mary says, “How can this happen?” The difference between the two is that Zechariah wants proof. He wants to know for sure that it is going to happen. Mary is simply confused on how it is going to happen…..she doesn’t doubt that it will happen. She is only confused as to how it is going to play out. Zechariah is a bit more smug….”How can I know this for sure?” 

I find the difference between the two interesting because for me, there are times that I feel like I am like Zechariah….asking for proof and not really believing what God has shown me.  And then there are times that I am confused on how things are going to play out and I ask, “how.” Notice that Gabriel lovingly encourages Mary. He doesn’t necessarily tell her the specifics, he gives her a little bit of information and encourages her by letting her know she is not alone. That tells me that God isn’t afraid of our questions. He isn’t put off by us asking “how”. Like a child asks a father, we can approach the throne in wonder, but in the same token, accept with faith that although we don’t always understand the how, we can still trust the one who is making the plans.

Zechariah on the other hand, is full of doubt. God does not reward doubt. And clearly, that doubt was an insult to Gabriel, who makes it very clear where he is from and who sent him.

As the path of life unfolds one step at a time, let us not forget that our Abba Father welcomes the child like faith in each of us and is not taken aback by our “hows”, but rest assured that our doubt filled “prove its” are not a language of love to His ears.