At the moment, Australia is reeling from the news that a 26-year-old childcare worker, Joshua Dale Brown, has been charged with sexually abusing eight children, aged between five months and two years old, with perhaps far more victims yet to be identified. It’s a horrible story of evil, a failure in duty of care, and a quest for justice.
A while back I read an article by Lorne Zelyck, "Matthew 18,1-14 and the Exposure and Sexual Abuse of Children in the Roman World,"Biblica 98.1 (2017): 37-54.
Normally the "little ones" in Matt 18:1-14 are taken to refer to new disciples, who should not be lead astray by mature believers. However, Zelyck argues that:
The context of Matt 18,1-14 suggests that Jesus is concerned about the welfare of children (paidion), and he presents eschatological warnings of divine retribution against anyone who scandalizes "one of these little ones". The parallels between Matt 18,6-10, Matt 5,27-30, and b. Nid. 13b suggests that the skandalizo in Matt 18,6 may be the sexual abuse of children, while an interpretation of the Tobspruch statement in Matt 18,6 ... and the parallels between Matt 18,10 and Apoc. Pet. 8 suggests that the skandalizo may be the exposure of children. These two atrocities committed against children in the Roman world are universally condemned by Jewish and later Christian authors, who claim that the children who do survive exposure are often picked up and sexually exploited. Jesus' warnings in Matt 18,6-9 are hyperbolic and severe: it is better to die or excise the source of the scandal than experience eschatological punishment as its penalty, which is unavoidable since God mindful and will seek out the perpetrator to ensure the safety of the children (cf. Matt 18,10-14). Despite the emphasis on the negative actions to be avoided, the positive action is clear: the disciples are exhorted to extend hospitality to these vulnerable children and provide for their needs (cf. Matt 18,5).
If you look at v. 6, in particular, “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea,” Jesus warns of a terrible judgment against those who scandalize/abuse the “little ones.” I can’t remember precisely where, but there is a Catholic university with a memorial to victims of sexual abuse in the church that has those very words engraved upon it.
Churches should be safe spaces for children, not for groomers or for abusers. When it comes to the abuse of children, the church of Jesus should not be interested in cover-ups or reputational protection, but justice for the victims and justice against the perpetrators.
In my view, this highlights the need for churches to have safeguarding policies and protections in place for their children’s ministries.
This is why Ridley College offers, for free, online courses on safe ministry for leaders and safe ministry for volunteers. Feel free to use them at your church!