Why Did God Punish Zechariah and Spare Mary Yet Both Asked Similar Questions

WHY DID GOD PUNISH ZECHARIAH AND SPARE MARY YET BOTH ASKED SIMILAR QUESTIONS?  

By Ezekiel Kimosop 

My take is that Zechariah was treated in about the same manner that Miriam was when she and her brother Aaron conspired to challenge the authority of their brother Moses in Numbers 12. 

Miriam was punished with leprosy but Aaron was spared. Why? My guess is that since she was a prophetess, she should have acted with better discernment and wisdom and refrained from confronting her younger brother whom God had appointed judge and prophet over Israel! 

Of course Moses violated God's law in marrying an Ethiopian woman but the issue could have been handled with decorum.

Some Bible scholars believe that Aaron was already a high priest at this point and that God spared him the leprosy because it would affect his priesthood service to the people of Israel. He would have been ceremonially unclean.  

Other scholars say Miriam was the chief instigator in the confrontation and she therefore took greater responsibility. They say the verb in the Hebrew text in Numbers 12:1 is feminine singular even though both Miriam and Aaron are named. This strongly suggests that Miriam took the lead role. 

Another view adopted by scholars is that Aaron was remorseful for His transgression. He humbled himself, and called Moses "my lord" in Numbers 12:11-13, suggesting that he was deeply remorseful. 

Miriam should have understood the mind of God in those circumstances but she recklessly crossed the divine boundaries when she acted with sibling rivalry and arrogance and belittled her younger brother, saying "Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us also?...” (Numbers 12:2). 

God summoned and rebuked Miriam and Aaron saying:

"Hear now My words:

If there is a prophet among you,

I, the Lord, make Myself known to him in a vision;

I speak to him in a dream.

7 Not so with My servant Moses;

He is faithful in all My house.

8 I speak with him face to face,

Even plainly, and not in dark sayings;

And he sees the form of the Lord.

Why then were you not afraid

To speak against My servant Moses?” (Numbers 12:6-8, NKJV). God stepped in to protect the integrity of Moses. 

Miriam was punished with leprosy to teach her a lesson. I believe she could have died under God's judgement like the sons of Korah but God was gracious to her. 

In Mary's case, God sent an angel to convey the message of Jesus' conception and birth. Mary asked the angel: "How can this be since I do not know a man?" The angel replied " The Holy Spirit will come upon upon you and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore the Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God" (Luke 1:34-35). Mary's question was informed by rational logic and the order of life. 

Now turning to the Zechariah case...

Luke 1:18-20 says "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.”

19 And the angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings. 20 But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.” (NKJV). 

Zechariah was part of the Levitical priesthood which consisted of trained ministers who taught God's law. The Bible reveals that Zechariah walked right with God. He therefore ought to have discerned and understood the mind of God better than Mary who was an ordinary mortal, a lay person, in this context. 

Zechariah's question was definitely informed by doubt and unbelief. The reaction of the angel in v.20 reveals that Zechariah doubted God in a situation that he should never have done! He should not have doubted the angel of God when he spoke the mind of God. Zechariah knew the Scriptures well. He was a minister of God. 

Some scholars say Abraham's case in Genesis 12-15 should have inspired him to trust God even in old age. 

You may perhaps recall God's judgement on Eli the priest who died under God's condemnation for failing to reign in his evil sons in the tabernacle at Shiloh. His sons also died in battle as they held the Ark of God in the exercise of their priestly duties. God had rejected them for their blatant acts of disobedience. 

God proclaims in 1 Samuel :12-14: 

"In that day I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. 13 For I have told him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knows, because his sons made themselves vile, and he did not restrain them. 14 And therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.”

Eli failed God's divine standard by neglecting to reprimand his sons even in circumstances that their transgressions at the tabernacle were brought to his attention. 

James 3:1-2 says "My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. 2 For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body." (NKJV). 

CONCLUSION 

My closing observation is that Miriam and Zechariah fell into a special category of people - prophets, priests, and teachers among God's people. They should have done better in their respective contexts. This explains why God acted harshly towards them. 

This also reminds us that God is holy, righteous, and just. He punishes and chastises His covenant people for their spiritual and moral dereliction. He is not a respecter of persons. The above examples in Scripture clearly illustrate to us that God has His divine standards for church leadership teams including elders, pastors, and mature believers. 

We should all serve God in our respective platforms and spaces with honor and utmost diligence. A mature believer will be held at a higher moral accountability  threshold than a Christian convert or a young believer! 

Shalom 

© Ezekiel Kimosop 2026