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Their responses seem similar and I don't believe it's possible to examine the language and come with the phrasing that leads to the rebuke. His mirrors Gen 15:8 which is not received as harshly. In comparison with Mary's response while hers seems more technical ("How is this going to happen?" - which perhaps implies a belief in something supernatural ...

This is supplemental to @LanceRobert's answer (if Joseph was not dead, these points do not avail much). Remember how much older than John Mary would have been. It has traditionally been held that John was a rather young disciple (note for example that he outruns flamboyant Peter; also a late date for the book of Revelation supports this idea if you ...

The last we hear of Joseph is in Luke 2, during the Jerusalem passover trip when Jesus was 12. The consensus is that Joseph was long since dead by the time of Jesus' ministry. It would have probably been a good time after the Jerusalem trip, because Jesus had a number of brothers and sisters (Mark 6:3). The fact that Mary was part of Jesus' retinue is a ...

First, I should note that other translations make clear that Simeon was specifically taking about a sword piercing someone's soul: And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, "Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that ...

Speculation: there is precedent for old people having children (Avraham and Sarah), so perhaps Zechariah should have had faith that if (1) it happened before and (2) an angel of God is telling him it will happen for him, he should accept it. On the other hand, a virgin giving birth is a new situation. (I am taking the translation in the question at face ...

We know from verse 34 that Mary does understand Gabriel's message to mean she would have a miraculous conception, as you allude to in your question: 34And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” Luke 1, ESV But it is not clear from the preceeding text how Mary knows that, as you say. I think it is helpful to bear in mind here ...

Gabriel seems to be the same person who visited Daniel to explain the meaning of his visions. Since those visions were very troubling, Gabriel's message was welcome and an answer to prayer. Gabriel also visited Zechariah as he served at the altar of incense in the Temple. In that case, Gabriel was there to explain how and why Zechariah's wife, Elizabeth, ...

Not a Gender Issue He allowed a sinful woman to wash his feet before with her tears and hair, which was rather inappropriate for her to do particularly at a dinner she wasn't invited to. One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to have dinner with him, so Jesus went to his home and sat down to eat. When a certain immoral woman from that city heard he was eating ...

I don't believe it had anything to do with gender. Jesus had nothing against Mary; there was definitely a different issue involved. I've heard an interesting reasoning for this, but I'm not a scholar and I haven't done enough study on it. Some say that it has to do with Jesus' physical nature after the resurrection, that He was physically something other ...