Did Baby Jesus Cry?

by Annie Yorty

Did Baby Jesus cry? Is crying for your needs to be met a sign of sin or imperfection? Or does abject need put us right where God wants us?

Human Baby Cries

After my son was born, I worried sleep deprivation would do me in. He wailed, especially at night, for the first twelve weeks of life. His miniature fingers grasped, demanding to be filled. Each cry indicated a need. Despite my best efforts, I couldn’t always understand exactly how to provide for him. I wished I could fathom the depths of this tiny human’s mind to know how to ease his discomfort. You’ll be glad to know we both survived. 😊

Baby Jesus

Away in a Manger, a beloved Christmas carol, first appeared in the 1880s.

Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,

The little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head.

The stars in the bright sky looked down where he lay,

The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.

The first verse paints an idyllic picture of Jesus lying in a crude manger beneath a star-studded sky. We can almost see the gold halo Byzantine artists typically painted above His holy head.

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.

I’ve loved this carol since long before I learned to play the notes on the piano in third grade. But I take issue with the characterization of a silent baby Jesus. As far as I can tell, no Scripture backs up this claim. I suspect the fact that Jesus is fully God didn’t override His experience as a human infant who had to cry for His mother to meet His needs.

What do you think?

Imitate Baby Jesus

Three out of four gospels record an incident that revealed Jesus’ heart. Parents brought their children to Him for a blessing, but His disciples shooed them away.

Jesus’ response instructs us about our relationship with God.

Then Jesus called for the children and said to the disciples, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” (Luke 18:16-17 NLT)

We all know babies will die without constant care. They mainly communicate their needs through cries. As I know all too well, their cries are often insistent, even demanding. Instinctively, they recognize their own inability to survive on their own.

As children grow up, they lose this dependent mindset as they learn self-sufficiency. Of course, parents applaud their children’s increased maturity.

But Jesus doesn’t applaud independence in our relationship with Him. His message to His disciples suggests we should approach His throne of grace like hungry, needy, and even squalling, babies. We must admit, like newborns, we can’t survive without Him.

What stops us from relying fully on God to provide? Human pride often fools us into thinking we can handle some, if not all, of our problems without Him.

Are you feeling crushed by worries? Perhaps you’re a sleep-deprived mom fretting over a distraught baby—or an adult child who’s strayed into dangerous territory. Maybe debt has strangled your budget, and you don’t know where to turn. Or has rejection, loneliness, or depression cast a pall over your joy? We weren’t created to bear the weight of self-reliance.

Perpetual Babies in God’s Family

Away in a Manger reminds us when we humble ourselves and admit our dependence on Jesus, we become perpetually like children in His care.

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 take us to heaven to live with thee there.

You might be thinking, Wait a minute! Doesn’t God want us to grow into spiritual maturity?

Absolutely. But here is one of the paradoxes of Christian life. The more childlike and dependent we become on Jesus, the more we mature in our faith.

Our neediness positions us to rely on God for every single need. When He faithfully provides what is best—and He always does, we learn to depend on Him as our All in All.

Such dependence, my friends, is spiritual maturity.

Our Perfect Father

When my infant son cried, I could only guess at his needs. Jesus never guesses. He knows.

Repeating Old Testament prophets, Apostle Paul asserted God’s desire to provide for us as our perfect Father.

And I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty. (2 Corinthians 6:18 NLT)

If you’ve been trying to handle life on your own, without Jesus, remember Baby Jesus. The Kingdom of God Jesus spoke about enters our hearts when we trust Him as our Savior. We come to Jesus like children and receive Him by faith, surrendering to Him as our King. Understanding our helplessness gives us the right mindset to thrive in His kingdom.

Have you surrendered your heart, dreams, will—your whole life­—to Jesus? If not, I urge you to consider the Baby born in Bethlehem over 2,000 years ago. The One who willingly took on the state of a dependent infant to ultimately become the Savior you could depend on for your needs today and throughout eternity. Place yourself in His tender care.

As a perfect Father, God knows. He cares. He provides. Will you depend?

Join the conversation:

In what area of life should you bawl out your needs, reaching helpless hands up to your Father?

We welcome your comments.

Copyright ©2025 Annie Yorty

Seek Jesus at Christmas

With Christmas right around the corner, we need to intentionally prepare to keep our focus on Jesus despite the busyness of the season.

My Christmas devotional, 25 Symbols of Christmas: Finding Jesus, is a great tool for individual reflection or family devotions during December. Each day we unwrap a symbol or tradition to discover more about Jesus and the true meaning of Christmas.

If you don’t already have 25 Symbols of Christmas, you can pick up a copy at Amazon. This devotional makes a great gift too.

I’ve also provided several free resources to go along with the book. At my website, you can download a coloring book for kids, journaling pages, a candy cane gospel to share with family and friends, and a birthday party for Jesus invitation.