Since the Messiah is born as a human child, the divine incarnate, he is vulnerable to all the bad things that can happen to human children. Jeannie Marshall
The stress of divine expectations
surging teenage hormones
twelve-year-old Jesus prayed
to his Father for a miracle.
He changed his diet
cut out fried foods
which was a trial
for he loved his mother’s fried artichokes.
He slathered greasy ointments
peddled by every charlatan
that passed through Nazareth.
Every Wednesday Mordecai Ben-David
Judea’s premier dermatologist
applied hot compresses to
his splotchy red cheeks.
Some of Jesus’s teenage pals had worse cases
no worry for fishermen and farmers
who could turn a pockmarked cheek.
Mary and Joseph worried about his career
Jesus needed clear, smooth skin
his Father had big plans for him.
