“And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger.” Luke 2:16

Babies

I have a friend who is really into babies. She never tires of holding them. She has never been a mother, but you’d never know it. She just has a way with babies. She can whisper in their ears, and they stop crying to listen. She can sway with them tucked into her arms, and they fall asleep. She sniffs their hair and skin, loving the smell of it. She softly brushes her cheek against their hair, just for the feel of it. She is every mama’s dream babysitter.

Why do you suppose God sent Jesus as a baby? He could have come in glory, with great pomp and splendor. After all, it was what He was used to. He could have come as an adult, full-grown, possessing the intelligence and knowledge of a scholar. He could have come as a king, with great power, commanding armies and servants. He could have come, I suppose, even as a burning bush that all would wonder at and be curious about.

But no, the Father sent the Son as a baby. He starts with nothing more than every other human being starts with. In fact, He starts with far less than most human beings start with, being birthed in a stable to peasant parents, laid in a feeding trough that hopefully at least had a bit of straw for cushioning.

Surely, God had many reasons for sending His Son as a baby. When we consider God’s plan, we think of things like His example of humility, and poverty, and His identification with the full human experience. But I think there was something else to it that we don’t often consider, and my baby-loving friend lives it out: Babies are loveable. Helpless enough to protect. Innocent enough to excuse any mess or noise they make. They have no guilt, no ulterior motives, no persuasive speech (not counting insistent crying). They are cuddly and sweet. They invite relationship. They do not run from you. They love to be held and whispered to. They respond when we look deeply into their eyes.

This may be one reason God gave us a Baby: so we would bond to Him forever. This was, perhaps, God’s way of inviting relationship with His Son right from the beginning. And it is a universal response to babies, isn’t it? A baby is probably the one person in a room that everyone can love.

“Father, thank You for sending Jesus as a baby. You surely have myriad reasons for doing so. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. Amen.”