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MaggieS
Guest
Zechariah was punished and Mary was not for giving essentially the same answer. I need help understanding this.
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tkdnick
Guest
Funny, we just did a study about this last week in class. I think the difference in response comes in part as a result of something that happens earlier in each story. When Gabriel appears to Zechariah it says he was troubled and fear fell upon him. However, for Mary it says she was troubled and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be (no fear). I think another difference is that Zechariah had a wife by whom it was possible for him to have a child. Mary had no husband by whom she could have a child. Different circumstances. Zechariah was questioning in spite of the obvious possibility. Mary was questioing because there wasn’t the “normal” possibility.
For something interesting, put verses 8-20 right next to 26-38. Some PHENOMINAL parallels!
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Della
Guest
I have heard it put as simply as Zechariah was questioning due to a lack of faith, whereas Mary was seeking a clarification.
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Tantum_ergo
Guest
Precisely. Mary was asking how it would be possible for her to conceive a child when she had made a vow of virginity --those would tend to be two mutually exclusive things in such a case!
Whereas there are many examples of people who were “past childbearing age” who did have children (Abraham and Sarah, for example). There was NO example of a virgin ever bearing a child before.
Zecharias questioned because he lacked faith, even though there were previous examples of such things happening.
Mary had faith, but wanted basically to know what SHE had to do. Was God, if He planned for her to conceive a child, asking her to renounce her vow of virginity? THAT would be the logical assumption, wouldn’t it? She wondered, if I am a consecrated virgin, but God wants me to have a son, then is He releasing me from this vow, and what do I do about it? Has He planned another husband for me? (And, of course, Mary’s “spouse” would be the Holy Spirit).
Mary was trying to do what God wanted of her, despite her own feelings or prior decisions or ideas; she was ready to “let go” of her own personal desires and even her own vows if that was what God wanted.
Whereas there are many examples of people who were “past childbearing age” who did have children (Abraham and Sarah, for example). There was NO example of a virgin ever bearing a child before.
Zecharias questioned because he lacked faith, even though there were previous examples of such things happening.
Mary had faith, but wanted basically to know what SHE had to do. Was God, if He planned for her to conceive a child, asking her to renounce her vow of virginity? THAT would be the logical assumption, wouldn’t it? She wondered, if I am a consecrated virgin, but God wants me to have a son, then is He releasing me from this vow, and what do I do about it? Has He planned another husband for me? (And, of course, Mary’s “spouse” would be the Holy Spirit).
Mary was trying to do what God wanted of her, despite her own feelings or prior decisions or ideas; she was ready to “let go” of her own personal desires and even her own vows if that was what God wanted.
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tuopaolo
Guest
I agree with Tantum.
More simply, it seems that Mary was simply curious or in wonderment about what God’s plans were whereas Zechariah was in doubt about whether God would carry them out.
More simply, it seems that Mary was simply curious or in wonderment about what God’s plans were whereas Zechariah was in doubt about whether God would carry them out.
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