“Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks!"

Matthew 18:1-20 (NASB) from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” ² And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, ³ and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ⁵ And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me; ⁶ but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

⁷ “Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes!

⁸ “If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life crippled or lame, than to have two hands or two feet and be cast into the eternal fire. ⁹ If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it from you. It is better for you to enter life with one eye, than to have two eyes and be cast into the fiery hell.

¹⁰ “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven. ¹¹ For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.

¹² “What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying? ¹³ If it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray. ¹⁴ So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish.

 “Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes! This is a strong warning that should be taken very seriously, in particular by anyone who is a teacher or a leader, anyone who has influence over the lives of others. James 3:1 says:  Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment. This verse is speaking in particular about teachers and leaders in the church. Those who lead others into error and sin will be judged not only for their own sin but for all those who they have misled. In today’s text Jesus says:      “but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.”    It is not my place to judge, I am not an expert on doctrine and theology, but I would encourage all those, particularly those who are leaders in the church, who are teaching new and up to date versions of scripture, changing the Bible to fit into the culture and the acceptable values of modern society, to consider this scripture. Jesus says:      “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. ¹⁸ For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. ¹⁹ Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.       As revolutionary as Jesus teaching was, He was clear that He did not come to change what was viewed as sin, making it acceptable to God. He came to pay the price for sin, making us acceptable to God through the cross. Jesus words to sinners, along with your sins are forgiven, were go and sin no more, repent.

I also believe government and political leaders will be subject to this same type of stricter judgment. Romans 13:1 says:   Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.  Those who pass laws making what is unacceptable to God acceptable to society are responsible for those who they lead and govern. While each individual still has the ability to choose to do what is right the immoral and unrighteous laws are a stumbling block to others. I believe abortion is a great example of this principle. In many ways the women who are persuaded and convinced by society and its laws that abortion is simply a matter of choice, something with no consequences, become victims of abortion as well as the child they allow to be killed. For many women the experience of abortion has lifelong emotional consequences. Long after they leave the facility, where the “procedure” is performed their lives are still affected by that “choice”.   

“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.⁷ “Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes!”   Teachers, those who write and approve curriculum, writers, philosophers, media, the entertainment industry all have influence on people’s thoughts and beliefs. They too will be held in a stricter judgment for the influence they have on people, particularly young people, causing them to stumble and stray from God’s way and truth. Parents too are given and charged with this great privilege and responsibility. There is no greater influence on a young life than for them to be witnesses to parents who seek after God.  Proverbs 22:6 says: Train up a child in the way he should go,
And when he is old he will not depart from it.     Unfortunately this seems to not always hold true. Children do become adults and they do have their own opportunity to exercise their free will, to choose whether or not to follow God’s way or their own way. The seeds of righteousness though, which are planted when they are young, will be with them and in them.

As parents, grandparents or spiritual parents we need to remember that God loves our children, His children even more than we do.   The text says:    “For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. ¹² “What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying? ¹³ If it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray. ¹⁴ So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish.”      It often seems that we can least affect those who are closest to us with our faith. In truth when those we love have gone astray it is our faith which we must depend on. We need to trust God, knowing that He does in fact love them more than we do. In fact He loves them so much that:   “He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)  The text says:  “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven.”   Romans 8:34 says: Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.    Sometimes when it comes to those we love, all we can do is trust God, trust Him and join with the angels and Jesus Himself. Sometimes we can no longer affect the choices our loved ones make. Our actions, even in love, can sometimes be stumbling blocks to what God is doing in their lives.  We need to trust God. We need to determine to intercede more and interfere less.  

“So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish.”

Jesus says: “ Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ; Holy Spirit, thank You for coming to seek and save me when I was lost. I pray that You would guide me, enable me, empower me to live in such a way that Your Light would shine through me. That I might be a stepping stone and not a stumbling block, leading others to You, through Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior, the fulfillment of Your law and the only one who can save.   Amen.