Back in 1982, I was the parent of three preschoolers. I was frustrated with one of the lyrics in the beloved “Away in a Manger”:
The cattle are lowing, the Baby awakes,
but little Lord Jesus, no crying He makes.
God wasn’t pretending to be a baby, he actually became a human for our salvation. Scripture records the fact that Jesus wept on more than one occasion (John 11:33-38 Luke 19:41-44). I did not want my preschoolers to imagine a Jesus who doesn’t understand and feel our pain. I wanted them to trust the One who bore our pain and our guilt and died in our place. Meditating on what the Bible actually says about the Christmas story, I wrote this poem. I hope you will enjoy it.
I’ll Bet He Cried
-by Jim Wood
I’ll bet He cried that night.
No shame for just a babe to cry.
Too soon to know He came to die;
But just the same —the cold —the fright
I’ll bet He cried that night.
I’m sure she wept that night
For joy, no doubt, to see her son.
Her years of pain had just begun;
But in the dark she held the light.
I’m sure she wept that night.
The angels sang that night.
I know the Bible only says
They spoke their joyful messages.
But ask the shepherds if I’m right
Such words are music still —Tonight!
