In the midst of her "Mrs. Carter Show" world tour, the singer Beyonce has made it very explicit what she expects from her hosts. The Daily Star reportedly scooped up a copy of the list, which included the following demands:

• All crew members must wear 100 percent cotton clothing.
• Alkaline water must be chilled to 21 degrees and served with $900 titanium straws.
• Bathrooms must have new toilet seats and red toilet paper at every venue.
• Hand-carved ice balls should be made after each show to cool her throat.
• Newly refurbished, luxury dressing rooms with enough space that's typically used to accommodate entire sports teams.

Of course Beyonce isn't the only famous or wealthy person (or ordinary person like us) who makes outlandish requests. In sharp contrast, when Jesus came to earth, he demanded nothing—except for a cattle stall. A Christian from the 4th century (Theodotus of Ancyra) explained it like this: In the Incarnation, God "chose surroundings that were poor and simple, so ordinary as to be almost unnoticed, so that people would know it was the Godhead alone that had changed the world."