If You Are Not Listened To: The Church and Justice

Devotional

Day 1: When Voices Echo Unheard in Hollow Spaces

The text’s haunting refrain – “if you are not listened to” – lingers like an unanswered cry. Survivors of abuse, like Epstein’s victims, know this echo intimately: testimony met with legal threats, truth drowned by corrupt systems. Jesus’ method for addressing sin assumes a community willing to hear hard truths, yet power often shields abusers instead. This dissonance leaves wounds raw and questions unresolved. But God’s heart bends toward those society silences, those whose stories get buried under redacted documents and blame. The gospel dares to name this rupture while pointing to a different way. [17:56]

“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church.”
(Matthew 18:15-17, ESV)

Reflection: When have you carried a story that others refused to hear? How might Jesus’ direct approach to truth-telling shape your longing for justice today?

Day 2: The Weight of a Child in Jesus’ Arms

A child stands at the center of Christ’s teaching on power – small, vulnerable, easily overlooked. While disciples argue about greatness, Jesus physically holds society’s “little one,” making their worth inseparable from divine welcome. This child becomes the litmus test for community: do our structures protect or exploit? Do we create stumbling blocks for the marginalized? The image rebukes systems that shield abusers and discredit survivors, insisting God’s kingdom inverts earthly hierarchies. [23:09]

And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me.”
(Matthew 18:2-5, ESV)

Reflection: Who are the “little ones” in your circles needing protection? How does holding their stories sacred become an act of receiving Christ himself?

Day 3: Grief as Shared Breath in Broken Systems

Collective mourning rises when survivors’ testimonies stack like unopened court files – 3,000,000 documents redacted, 1,000 voices muffled. Jesus acknowledges the cost of unrepentant sin: fractured relationships, communal consequences. Yet earthly justice often fails, leaving survivors to bear the fallout. This devotional space holds the tension between God’s vision for reconciliation and our reality of institutional corruption. Grief becomes holy when breathed together. [21:39]

Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.
(Romans 12:15, ESV)

Reflection: Whose weeping have you been tempted to dismiss as “too political” or “too messy”? How might shared mourning become a pathway toward Christ’s healing?

Day 4: Two or Three Gathered Where Healing Begins

Justice movements often start in hushed spaces – a therapist’s office, a survivor’s prayer group, two friends walking and listening. Jesus promises his presence not in stadium rallies but in intimate circles where stories unfold. These micro-communities become laboratories for God’s restoration, challenging us to move beyond performative activism to patient, relational truth-telling. [25:53]

For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.
(Matthew 18:20, ESV)

Reflection: What small, sacred space have you overlooked as a site for change? Who needs you to gather with them in Christ’s name this week?

Day 5: New Refrains Replacing Ancient Echoes

The sermon ends by rewriting the refrain: not “if you are not listened to” but “when I was listened to.” Organizations like World Without Exploitation model this shift – survivors leading advocacy, crafting legislation, healing through solidarity. Every act of holy listening chips at systems that silence, inching toward the kingdom where truth-telling brings liberation. [27:14]

He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
(Micah 6:8, ESV)

Reflection: What broken refrain plays in your community? How can you help rewrite it into a testimony of God’s justice being done?

Sermon Summary

Matthew 18 begins with a painful refrain: “if you are not listened to.” Jesus gives a way for people to tell the truth when someone sins against them, first one on one, then with others, then before the church. Jesus envisions repentance, reconciliation, and real consequences when an offender refuses to turn from harm. Yet the words land differently in a world where victims, especially women and children, so often come forward and still are not believed.

The violence surrounding the Epstein files makes that grief impossible to ignore. Survivors have told their stories, yet powerful systems have threatened them, silenced them, exposed them, and protected perpetrators. The contrast between Jesus’ vision and this reality is heartbreaking. Victims are too often pushed out of communities while abusers retain power, respectability, and protection. The questions remain: What happens when justice is blocked on a massive scale? Where is God when institutions refuse to listen? How can healing begin when abuse continues?

Matthew’s larger gospel gives a place to hold those questions. Jesus consistently cares for the little ones, the lost ones, the vulnerable ones, and those pushed aside. Jesus blesses the poor in spirit, the meek, the merciful, the persecuted, and those who hunger and thirst for justice. Jesus places a child in the middle of disciples arguing about greatness, making the child the measure of welcome and belonging. Jesus then warns against causing little ones to stumble, tells his followers not to despise them, and speaks about the seriousness of sin that harms others.

Jesus’ call to confrontation and reconciliation is therefore not a demand that harmed people quietly endure harm. Jesus establishes a community of love and care with clear expectations and real boundaries. Jesus shows that the brokenness of abuse, disbelief, and corrupt power is not what God wants. God sees those who have not been listened to. Christ’s kingdom is a world where little ones are protected, women are believed, neighbors are not wronged, and sins are made right.

Jesus’ promise that he is present where two or three gather opens up a small but real place for healing. Christ can be present in a therapist’s office, in prayer with a trusted minister, or in a conversation with a faithful friend. God also works through organizations that support survivors, seek legislative change, and help people tell the truth. The refrain can begin to change, one act of faithful listening at a time: “when I was listened to.”

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Key Takeaways

1. God hears those not believed God does not confuse silence from institutions with the truth about a survivor’s pain. Jesus’ concern for little ones means that those dismissed, blamed, or pushed aside remain fully seen by God. The kingdom of heaven does not ask wounded people to pretend that harm did not happen. God’s justice begins with taking the truth seriously. [24:48]
2. Jesus protects the little ones Jesus places a child in the center when his disciples are preoccupied with greatness. That image exposes every community that values status more than safety. Christ’s people are called to measure faithfulness by how well vulnerable people are welcomed, protected, and believed. Harm against little ones is never a small matter in God’s sight. [23:09]
3. Reconciliation requires truth and boundaries Matthew 18 holds together truth telling, repentance, restoration, and consequences. Jesus does not describe reconciliation as ignoring sin or requiring victims to carry the burden alone. Love names what is wrong and establishes boundaries when a person refuses to live within a community of care. Restoration cannot be built on denial. [24:05]
4. Healing often starts small Jesus’ presence among two or three gathered people gives dignity to small circles of care. A trusted friend, a therapist, prayer, and patient listening can become places where a survivor’s voice is received rather than dismissed. Small acts of listening do not solve every corrupt system, but they resist the lie that suffering must remain hidden. The new refrain begins when someone is listened to.

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Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[17:37] - If You Are Not Listened To
[18:32] - Survivors and Failed Justice
[20:20] - Matthew 18 and Truth Telling
[22:17] - Jesus’ Heart for the Vulnerable
[23:09] - The Child in the Midst
[24:48] - God’s Kingdom of Justice
[25:53] - Healing in Small Circles
[26:10] - Standing With Survivors
[27:14] - When I Was Listened To

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Matthew 18:15–17
“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.” [20:20]

Matthew 18:1–6
“At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, ‘Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.’” [23:09]

Matthew 18:20
“For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” [25:34]

Matthew 5:3–10
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” [22:33]

Observation questions

In Matthew 18:15–17, what are the steps Jesus gives when someone sins against another person, and what happens when the offender repeatedly refuses to listen? [20:29]
What were the disciples arguing about when Jesus placed a child in the middle of them, and what does Jesus say about welcoming that child? [23:09]
What kinds of people are named as blessed in Matthew 5:3–10, especially those who are hurting or have less power? [22:50]
What small settings were named as places where listening and healing can begin? [25:44]

Interpretation questions

Matthew 18 describes confrontation, witnesses, and the involvement of the church. How does this passage show that reconciliation includes both truth telling and consequences, rather than simply “moving on” after harm has been done? [24:15]
Jesus places a child at the center while the disciples are focused on greatness. What does this suggest about how a church should measure faithfulness, leadership, and safety? [23:29]
How do the Beatitudes help people hold onto God’s care when justice is delayed and those who have been harmed are ignored, blamed, or pushed aside? [25:14]
Jesus promises to be present where two or three gather in his name. Why might that promise matter especially in a trusted conversation, prayer with a friend, or a setting where someone is finally heard? [25:51]

Application questions

Jesus’ way of truth telling is not a command for a person to confront an abuser alone or remain in danger. How can this group become a place where safety, wise boundaries, and appropriate help are taken seriously when someone shares that they have been harmed? [24:22]
When someone shares a painful experience, what habits can make them feel listened to rather than questioned, blamed, rushed, or dismissed? Think of practical words to say and responses to avoid. [27:10]
Jesus says that welcoming little ones is welcoming him. Who in the congregation or wider community may be especially vulnerable or easily overlooked, and what is one concrete way the group could help make them safer and more included? [25:06]
Is there a relationship in which truth needs to be spoken with greater honesty and care? What boundaries, support from others, or professional help might be needed before taking any next step? [20:39]
God’s kingdom is one where women are believed, little ones are protected, and wrongdoing is made right. Where do you see a gap between that vision and the world around you, and what faithful response is within your reach? [25:10]
Healing can begin in small circles: with a trusted friend, a therapist, prayer, or patient listening. Who might need a safe and gentle check-in from you this week, and how can you offer care without pressuring them to share more than they want? [25:59]
Supporting survivors can include standing with organizations that provide care and work for change. What is one way this group could learn about, pray for, give to, or serve a trustworthy local or wider organization that protects vulnerable people? [26:38]

Sermon Clips

40s

“And if you yourself or your loved one has ever been in a situation where you were not listened to, that's not what God wanted. That's not the community that Jesus taught. Jesus speaks of the kingdom of God where all are cared for, where little ones are protected, where women are believed. Blessed are you. God sees you in your pain, And the kingdom of heaven is a world where justice does rule, where values are upheld, and when people are sinned against, it's made right.”

55s

“Perhaps it does give us hope that if we, as people of God, come together as the church and stand in solidarity with victims, support organizations like this, We will indeed have the ability to see change in healing, the change in healing that we all long to see in this world when we see the brokenness and long for that healing. But when we don't know what to do or where to start or where to find God in these corrupt systems, we have to start small. We start by listening one on one and where two or three are gathered. We start a new frame, a new refrain, when I was listened to.”

44s

“So maybe that is the good news. Maybe thinking about how God does care for the little ones and how justice is woven throughout the gospel gives us that hope, the brokenness of this world isn't what God wants. Right? And if you yourself or your loved one has ever been in a situation where you were not listened to, that's not what God wanted. That's not the community that Jesus taught. Jesus speaks of the kingdom of God where all are cared for, where little ones are protected, where women are believed.”

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