Did the Son of God Weep as a Baby?

All babies cry. If one should not cry, it would be a reason of great concern. A pediatrician would be consulted. “Why doesn’t my child cry?” What might be the cause of this? My cursory research indicates some babies just don’t cry as much as others. Not crying is within the outer range of a normal state of health. Most babies show emotions even if they don’t cry. They may stir or whimper when hungry or cold. Even those children who do not cry or seldom cry as infants will learn to weep or cry out as they mature.

My little granddaughter, Bella, is a bit more than a year and half old. The other day we were playing some sort of game where we acted out parts. I was a growling lion and played my part a little too convincingly and scared her. Her face began to clinch up around her mouth, I saw that her upper lip quivered. My heart sank as a saw tears well up in her eyes, then she let looses with a full cry. I tried to offer her comfort but, I remained, the roaring lion, so she wanted nothing from me except to go away.

The classic Christmas carol, “Away in the Manger,” described a tranquil Christ child. This sleeping infant was He fully God and fully human, and his humanity slept. But did his Divinity also sleep? This question asks too much of a childrens’ lullaby. That it was not written by Martin Luther is a firmly established conclusion among those who study the history of hymns. It was originally a two stanza son. The third verse was added decades latter.

Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,
The little Lord Jesus laid down His sweet head.
The stars in the sky looked down where He lay,
The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.

The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes,
But little Lord Jesus no crying He makes.
I love Thee, Lord Jesus, look down from the sky
And stay by my cradle till morning is nigh.

Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask Thee to stay
Close by me forever, and love me, I pray.
Bless all the dear children in thy tender care,
And fit us for heaven, to live with Thee there.

The first stanza merely sets the scene. He is called “Lord” even as a baby. He is the child king.  One can plainly see how this song can be used to recount the Birth story found in Luke’s Gospel. He is a poor baby who does not even have a proper crib for a bed. Yet, even in these lowly settings he sleeps with the peace of a holy child.

The second stanza is a story of a baby that is awakened by the sound of cattle lowing. Most babies would cry when their full sleep is interrupted. This child, we learn, is special and keeps a calm demeanor. A theological quandary is subtly present here. Does the infant Jesus know all things as God the Son knows all things? Can he do all things as God can do all things? The other side of this question concerns God the Son. Does he who is timeless become bound to the restraints of time? In Philosophical terms, does the Infinite become finite? Is the God/Man Jesus a weak and lowly child – who must have his bodily needs met by his parents? Is the infant Jesus instinctually fearful of falling? Does he cry when hungry or when suddenly awakened by cattle? Was it his Divinity that kept him serene in the verse where it is said he does not cry? I believe the man Jesus grows in his awareness of his Divinity. I don’t then conclude that God the Son grows in his awareness of His humanity – he does become as we are in every way. That means he knows our fears and feels our helplessness as an infant dependent on others for providing food and affection.

A good balance to the theology of Away in the Manger is Charles Wesley’s hymn “Gentle Jesus, Meek and Mild.”

Lamb of God, I look to Thee;
Thou shalt my Example be;
Thou art gentle, meek, and mild;
Thou wast once a little child.

Between these two songs is the song Gentle Mary, Laid Her Child.

Gentle Mary laid her Child lowly in a manger;
He is still the undefiled, but no more a stranger:
Son of God, of humble birth, beautiful the story;
Praise His Name in all the earth, hail the King of glory!

The best poetry can say big things in few words. The hymn, “Infant Holy, Infant Lowly” captures best for me the wondrous message of the incarnation of God. In the full witness of such hymns I can sing my faith in the words found in the third stanza of “Away in a Manger.” I pray, “Be near me, Lord Jesus.”