The Sunday Sermonette – Are You Like Punch?

Have you seen the Facebook reels of Punch, the baby macaque monkey whose search for love and companionship has touched so many online? He was born in July 2025 at the Ichikawa City Zoo near Tokyo. Not long after, something unusual happened: his mother abandoned him. This can happen in groups of monkeys when the mother is stressed. Punch was born during a heatwave, which may have played a part in his mother leaving.

Growing up without a mother made it very difficult for Punch to understand and climb the social ladder of monkey society. When he tried to interact with other monkeys, some pushed him away, and some fought with him, causing physical injury. Most just ignored him. Seeing Punch’s problems with the other monkeys living on the zoo’s Monkey Mountain, his keepers gave him an orangutan plushie as a surrogate mother.

Baby monkeys usually hold on tightly to their mothers, so Punch soon started hugging the toy for comfort and safety. There are videos of him wrapping its arms around himself, carrying it everywhere, and, most touchingly, falling asleep snuggled up next to it.

Punch’s bond with his toy is more than just a sweet story; it helps prove a 70-year-old study. In the 1950s, an experiment in psychology was conducted by American researcher Harry Harlow. His work with baby monkeys showed that comfort and kindness, not just food, are the bonding agents between mother and child. Punch is not just an internet star; he reminds us of the importance of emotional care.

Are you like Punch? Maybe you weren’t abandoned by your mother, but are you searching for the same things as he is? We all need kindness, safety, acceptance, and understanding. These, along with love and warmth, matter more to our well-being than physical needs do. But as we look for these things, what “plush toys” have you turned to? Maybe it’s a bottle to ease your pain, a place where love is promised but not real, or chasing freedom in all the wrong places. Sometimes, we even try to fit in with the “In-Crowd,” who seem to have it together and are so exciting, only to discover their lives are shallow and empty, too.

In the Good Book, John 3:16 says: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” This verse shows us that Father God’s love isn’t just a stand-in for something else. It’s the real thing, reaching everyone. His love lasts forever and is strong enough to forgive any sin, any mistake. Romans 8:38-39 reminds us that nothing in creation can separate us from the love of Father God.

Alas for poor Punch, he doesn’t realize he’s clinging to nothing but cloth and stuffing. But we can cling to Father God, knowing He is real and caring! How do we do this? By praying, reading our Bible, and having faith in Him and Jesus Christ. They comfort us in hard times through the Holy Spirit. As we get closer to them, we find their love is really real, not just a substitute, plush toy. Little Punch loves something that isn’t real. But God and Jesus are real, and they are waiting to hear from you.

Ponder this and go forth.