“What do ya think? Should we be Mary and baby Jesus in the live nativity?”

It was slightly a disconnected question, neither of us had been talking about the baby Jesus, a live nativity, or her child.

She was a young mama with two small children, a newborn and a toddler. I smiled and answered, 

“How sweet. You would make a cute Mary and that sweet newborn baby would be a darling Baby Jesus.”

She corrected me, she wasn’t talking about her newborn, she meant her toddler. “They have all the newborn Jesuses they need, they need a slightly older Jesus for when the wise men come.” I understood better what she meant. When the magi came to present their gifts to Jesus he would have been a bit older, Mary the mother of a toddler. 

I giggled when she clarified. “Oh, your little fella will be so perfect! 

Then she said out loud what must have been her reason for hesitation when answering the call for participants. 

“Yeah but I don’t want anyone to see Baby Jesus throw a temper tantrum.”  

I envision Jesus having a toddler tantrum in all the moments of His earthly life and ministry when it would have been completely warranted, reasonable, and understandable. Moments when disappointment would have prevailed, sorrow pervasive, and despair prevalent. In all those moments He maintained self-control and never sinned. I pondered on that further.

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” Hebrews‬ ‭4‬:‭15‬

‭In every respect He was tempted and yet remained sinless, He didn’t throw a toddler tantrum and neither should I. 

I asked my friend if she knew what other details would pertain to the live nativity gig, and she she told me that the toddler Jesuses would take shifts and that the The Wise Men will bring some gifts and open them up presenting them to the Jesus stand-ins. “But it’s not gold frankincense or myrrh… I’ve actually heard it’s Cheetos,” and I began to laugh, deep belly laughs that the word says are good like a medicine. I laughed until I wheezed at the irony of the gifts and the presentation of a snack food to pacify grumpy toddlers, and for the appreciation of my King and what a good gift-giver, Savior, and friend that He is.