Avoid Stumbling Blocks

Read Matthew 18:1-11

‘“Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to that man through whom stumbling block comes!”’ (Matt. 18:7, NASB).

Famous gospel singer Inez Andrews recorded a song, “Lord Don’t Move the Mountain.” The lyrics in part say: “Lord, don’t move the mountain but give me the strength to climb. And Lord, don’t take away my stumbling block, but lead me all around.” This song comes to my mind as my daughter and I are discussing sexual harassment and sexual abuse. Actor Bill Cosby and movie mogul Harvey Weinstein have made the headline news because several women have come forward and accuse these famous men of sexual harassment and sexual abuse. These two men made the news because of their status in society, but other men with power are being accused. In addition, women are coming forward to tell their story although their abuser is less powerful and famous. What does this have to do with stumbling blocks?

In our discussions, my daughter tells me that when a person is abused he or she can lose their power; their voice. This loss of power because of sexual abuse can lead to loss of power in other areas of their life. Thus, we can say that sexual harassment and sexual abuse are large stumbling blocks in the life of many young girls and women. By the way, boys and men are also victims of sexual harassment. It is just that it happens less frequently with males, and men are less likely to talk about being abused because they fear that they will be perceived as weak and less manly if they feel abused by a woman. So, what does all of this have to do with our scripture passage?

In Matthew 17 Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up on a high mountain where Jesus is transfigured (17:1-8) Jesus comes back to the valley and heals a boy possessed with demons (vv. 14-21). Jesus tells His disciples about His impending crucifixion and resurrection. Jesus pays His taxes (vv. 24-27).

Matthew 18 begins, “At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (v. 1)? Jesus calls a child and sets him before the disciples. He tells them that the Father considers the humble and repentant that believe in Him greater than those who gain status in the world by the worlds standards. Jesus warns the disciples that God will punish the one that causes a child that believes in Him to stumble. He says, ‘“And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me; 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 be drowned in the depth of the sea”’ (18:5-6).

In verse seven, Jesus says three things. First, the world has stumbling blocks. Stumbling blocks are inevitable. There is danger for the one who puts a stumbling block in the path of a believer. So, what is a stumbling block? The Greek word skandalon is translated as “offense” in the KJV and as “stumbling block” in the NASB. It means to set a trap with bait attached to cause another to sin. Apostle Paul writes in Romans 14; 1 Corinthians 8 and 10 that the strong is to avoid doing anything that will cause another believer to sin even though the thing done is not necessarily wrong in and of itself. Woe is me if I do anything to cause another believer to fall into sin. However, when we look at verses 8-9 we discover that the phrase “that man” in verse one can be our own self. Jesus gives two examples. One’s hand or foot may cause him to stumble (v. 8), and one’s eyes can cause him to stumble (v. 9). Jesus says that one should cut off the foot and pluck out the eye so that they can enter life in the kingdom regardless of the loss. Thus, we must not cast a stumbling block in the path of a believer. At the same time we are to do whatever is necessary to avoid stumbling blocks. How can we avoid them?

First, according to the text, we must be aware that stumbling blocks exist. It is important that believers are aware of the temptations and snares in the world that are readily available to us. We must not allow ourselves to be entrapped by the things of the world that are appealing to us. These stumbling blocks look good, sound good, and feel good. Christians must educate themselves on the issues in the world. Christians must compare what the world says about the issues with what the bible says about the issues. What activities do we get involved in? What side of the arguments that exist do I join myself to? Being aware means that we know that the world has many snares. The church must not shy away from these issues. Rather, the church must confront these issues head on. As individual believers, we have personal responsibility to know the truth about the stumbling blocks in the world.

Awareness of stumbling blocks also includes things that take place in the church. There are things that are said and done in the church that can cause a person to stumble even though what is said and done are not wrong. In Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians 8 Paul tells the church that the strong members must not do anything that will cause a weak member to stumble. The issue is eating food sacrificed to idols. Paul says that for the strong eating this food does no harm. At the same time a weak person may stumble into idolatry if they see someone eat meat that was sacrificed to idols. We must be aware of anything in the world and in the church that will cause us to stumble.

A second way to avoid stumbling blocks is to be willing to let go of some things. This includes things that affect me personally. Am I prone to drink too much alcohol? Do I have friends that try to persuade me to do what I know is not the right thing to do? Sometimes we do things because we want to belong. We want to be accepted. This is natural, and this means that we may go along to get along because we don’t want to be rejected and alone. Many of the women that are coming forward to tell their stories about their own sexual abuse are saying that at the time they were trying to get ahead in life. Many women tell about their need to keep their jobs to provide for their children. How can the church be a safe place for these victims? What support will the church offer their members who are victimized by abuse?

A third way to avoid stumbling blocks is to surround ourselves with a support system of other Christian friends and family. Will I allow myself to be accountable to others, or do I insist that I have the right to make my own decisions? Yes, we have a right to make our own decisions about our life, and we are responsible for the decisions that we make. We need to know that there are persons in our life that we can trust and depend upon. Once I was told that Christian women have to get a boyfriend outside the church because church men are boring. This was comical to me because my family members and close friends do not think of me as boring. I suppose it comes down to what one likes; what turns one on. Do I enjoy worship in the church, or would I rather be out shopping or watching the football game? Do I find fulfillment in getting with a prayer partner to pray, or would I rather be at the house of a fried having a party? How can we help people to make decisions that will help them to avoid stumbling blocks? Let me give an example.

About ten years ago I was the Minister of Children and Youth at a local church. I gave a class to help the youth to understand the differences between what is legal; what is ethical, and what is moral. Many people think that these three always agree, but they often do not. I told the youth that it is important to know this because it might help them in many of their decisions, especially in their career choices. During our discussion one of the young ladies speaks up. She says that she wants to be a gynecologists but she has never thought about the issue of abortion. Now she understands that she will have to think about this more critically. She is not sure at this time about where she stands on the issue of abortion. We do not have to call out people and go into graphic details of a person’s life to help our members to be aware of the stumbling blocks that exist. I believe that it is our responsibility to offer assistance to our members who are trying to avoid stumbling blocks.