A number of years ago, I started to notice that some of my students would talk about Jesus as though he were something other than human,

something unrelatable, distant, static, emotionless, or impervious to the human condition.

I felt like they were missing the boat on an important part of who we worship and why.

So I wrote and prepared to talk on the subject and gave it at BYU's Easter Conference.

Here's a little excerpt from it.

Jesus became immortal like you and like me in every sense of the word.

In spite of the sentimental Christmas hymn that we sing every year away in a manger,

as a baby, little Lord Jesus probably cried a lot. Most babies do. Presumably, he fussed and didn't

sleep through the night. He probably tried to put everything in his mouth. He rolled over and then stumbled to an unsteady walk,

like all kids do.

He probably threw temper tantrums and cried

till he fell asleep on the floor,

his hair wet with sweat, just like my kids have done and yours.

He babbled, and then he had to learn

how to make word associations ironically think about this

the man who made the trees had to learn how to say the word tree i once held my two-year-old

son calvin in my arms and when he was learning to talk i pointed to a tree and I said what's that and he

said dog and I said no little buddy that's a tree can you say tree and he said tree

and I said good job but high five and I can imagine Joseph or Mary having a similar conversation

with a two-year-old Jesus.

Can you say tree, Jesus?

And Jesus says tree, and they say, good job, Jesus.

...