But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Luke 18:16 ESV

As we sang, “Jesus Loves Me,” it was strange how I recalled the memory of my mother telling me to “Sit on your bed till your father gets home!” I would groan and head off to my room and plop myself down to wait. I knew the standard operating procedure by heart. First, came the lecture, then the phrase, “This is going to hurt me, more than it’s going to hurt you!” Though I had heard those words many times I was pretty sure that I was the only one who was going to feel any pain!

Some of us think of God like that. We are scared to death of what He will do to us when He comes home. But that simple song, reminds that we have a Father in Heaven who treats us differently than we expect. We are reminded that he never told us to go wait on our beds until we get a licking. Instead, Jesus waited quietly while Pontius Pilate and the religious leaders of His day misunderstood Him, unjustly beat Him and condemned Him as a criminal. Though it was our selfish decisions and actions that had injured others, He took the punishment we richly deserved. When they nailed Him to the cross, it really was hurting Him more than it would ever hurt us. But the good news is that even after all He suffered, Jesus is not angry with us. He is not making us wait for a punishment when He comes home. In spite of all He suffered; the chorus of that simple song is our greatest hope “Yes Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me! The Bible tells me so!”