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6 But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea. 7 Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes! 8 If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire. ~ Matthew 18:6-9
Today, we return to our study of Matthew 18 where the Lord Jesus continued training His disciples to be His disciples. Earlier, the Lord Jesus had warned the Jewish religious leaders about the sin of loving money. Here, the Lord Jesus turned to His disciples to teach them about loving people. This teaching was prompted by the disciples arguing about who would be the greatest in His kingdom. It was A.H. McNeile who once said, "He will be the greatest who has the least idea that he is great."
In v.6 of today's passage we read, "But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea."
Addressing the disciples’ desire to be great, the Lord Jesus turned up the volume on being child-like in our faith. In fact, He repeated three times a warning about causing those young in their faith to stumble. A disciple is in danger of causing a child to sin by not showing him value. And when a disciple is motivated according to God's will, he will value a child. But, if the disciple is motivated by being great in the eyes of people, he will not value the child. The root problem is selfishness, wanting to be great in the eyes of others.
The Lord Jesus referenced a "millstone" which was commonly used to grind wheat into flour. These stones weighed up to 3000 pounds. When hung around anyone's neck, it would take one to the bottom of the sea very fast. The rabbis taught that drowning was only for Gentiles, not for Jews. The Lord Jesus emphasized it would be better to be drowned, instantly, than to hinder the faith of a young believer.
In v.7 of today's passage we read, "Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!"
The word "woe" is used throughout the Bible describing God's impending judgement on those who deliberately cause others to stumble away from the Lord. The word "offense" is the Greek word from which we get our English word scandal. Used fifteen times in the New Testament, this word describes a "snare." In light of the broader context of this chapter, the Lord Jesus identified the root cause of such behavior as pride.
In Proverbs 29:23 we read, "A man's pride shall bring him low but honor shall uphold the humble in spirit." Once again the root problem is pride and arrogance.
In v.8 of today's passage we read, "If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire."
The Lord Jesus was not suggesting we go out and actually cut off our hand, foot, or even pluck out our eye. Interestingly, these three body parts mediate our contact with others. The Lord Jesus here employed hyperbole in order to issue a radical call to separate ourselves from any behavior that may cause us and others to reject Him. Giving safe haven in our souls to the Lord Jesus is the posture that fulfills us the most.
In v.9 of today's passage we read, "And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire."
We must be serious to not allow sin to define us. Oh yeah, we will sin but we do not have to be defined by sin, it mustn't be our practice. As God has shown His grace to us we must share it with others. Being gracious to others is often the bridge that brings them to the Lord. Our eye represents what we see, our hand what we do, and, our foot where we go. There are places, activities and things we have no business being at, going to or doing. We must be as wise as serpents and harmless as doves. The fire is analogous of God’s judgment. And, if God did not judge evil, evil would run rampant with no end. In fact, evil would win and we all would be doomed because sin destroys. Extinction would be our ultimate state.
The Lord Jesus referred to Hell more than He did Heaven, and when He spoke of it, He described it as a place that some will go. According to Matthew 10:28, Hell is a place where our bodies and souls will be destroyed. According to 2 Thessalonians 1:9 Hell is a place that is away from the presence of the Lord. In the story of the rich man and Lazarus found in Luke 16, the rich man specifically calls Hell, "a place of torment." This is precisely why the Father sent His beloved Son to this earth so that when we believe in Him we would not perish in the fires of Hell but that we would spend eternity with Him in heaven.
