Matthew 18:7: Sin and the Ultimate Stumbling Block

“Woe to the world for temptations to sin!” Jesus in Matthew 18:7

“My tour is a religious experience!  I'm teaching people to worship themselves."  (Lady Gaga; interviewed May 13, 2011) 

 “I had motives for not wanting the world to have a meaning…Those who detect no meaning in the world generally do so because, for one reason or another, it suits their books that the world should be meaningless,” (Aldous Huxley quoted by Ravi Zacharias in his book, Can Man Live Without God? p. 30)

After being asked by His disciples, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” (v. 1), Jesus gives a passionate message stretching over all of chapter 18 about how His children should treat and take care of one another.  Jesus said, “Woe to the world for temptations to sin!” (v.7).  Woe means here “how greatly one will suffer!”  The Greek word for temptations to sin is skandalon, which the NASB translates “stumbling block.”  Sin is not some medieval antiquated religious term.  Our Lord attaches very dire consequences to sin and gives provocative exhortations to avoid sin.  He uses terms such as drowning and eternal fire as a way to emphasize just how serious stumbling blocks are.

And ultimately, in the greatest act of love, justice, mercy and power that our universe has ever seen, Jesus offers himself as the sacrifice for our sin.  While “fools mock at sin,” Proverbs 14:9 (NASB), our Lord took sin very seriously.  In order to remedy its effects on man and creation, he emptied himself of all his divinity in order to make payment for our sin. 

Romans 14:13 teaches us to never “put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.”   We are free to eat and drink whatever we want but if that freedom causes one of his little ones to stumble, then we are “no longer walking in love,” (Romans 14:15).  James also warns us against causing others to stumble because of the words we say (see James 3:1-12).    May we not destroy with our food (or drink or words) “the one for whom Christ died,” (Romans 14:15).

Jesus continues, “For it is necessary that temptations come,” (v. 7).  This is a difficult statement.  Why is it necessary that temptations come?  It seems it would be easier to walk with God in a world where there were no stumbling blocks, no temptations to sin.   But what seems right to man may not be right in God’s eyes.  Scripture says that part of the process of becoming more Christ-like is to confront sin in the power of the Holy Spirit. 

Consider Romans 5:3-5: “Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”  James 1:2-4 teaches, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”  Jesus teaches in a parable that to root up the evil weeds would actually damage the good wheat, (see 13:29).

Temptations will come; it is inevitable.  But woe to the one by whom temptation comes!  (v. 7) Woe to the one who has quenched the Spirit’s work and has hardened himself to sin and been given over to it (Romans 1:28).  He may gloat in the idea that he has thwarted God.   But this is not true!  God, in his holiness and sovereignty will now use him, even as an instrument of evil, to strengthen his saints and accomplish his plans.   No man will turn aside God.

From Joseph’s brothers to Pharaoh to the chief priests and Judas to Satan’s minions at Armageddon, God will ultimately use for his glory those whose intent is to put stumbling blocks before man. “It is he (God) who sits above the circle of the earth…who brings princes to nothing and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness,” (Isaiah 40:22-23).

It is not just the meandering rock stars or the rulers of earth who can make his little ones stumble.  We too must embrace these warnings for ourselves.  Let us be careful what we say, what we drink, what we post on social media, what we wear or the kind of persona we try to present to others.   Yes, we have freedom in Christ, but are we encouraging others in their walks with God through our everyday lives?  These are hard lessons to learn. 

Lets also remember that Jesus Christ is the ultimate stumbling block for those who refuse his invitation.   For the redeemed, Christ is our fortress, our shield and our strong tower (see Psalm 18:2).   Yet the Cornerstone of our faith has become “the stone that the builders have rejected,” (Psalm 118:22).    May we find our rock and refuge in Christ!