Introduction
In the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 18, the Lord Jesus teaches about how to enter the kingdom of the heavens. Since there are no specific words to describe the kingdom of heaven, the Lord Jesus teaches us through parables and comparisons, helping us understand and find our way into the kingdom of heaven. Specifically, in Matthew 18:7-9, the Lord Jesus teaches about temptation to sin. This teaching shows that part of entering heaven is being watchful and not sinning. The Lord teaches that the world tempts us to sin, and we need to cut activities from our lives that make us sin, symbolically represented by our feet and eyes.
In Matthew 18:7, the Lord Jesus states, “It is necessary for the stumbling blocks to come.” In this article, we will explore the spiritual significance of this statement and its implications for our Christian lives.
Comments Matthew 18:7-9
Matthew 18:7 Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks! It is necessary for the stumbling blocks to come, but woe to the one by whom the stumbling block comes!
“Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks” or “woe to the world for temptations to sin.” These temptations to sin spoken of in this verse are related directly to sin against the Lord. Because of believing in themselves, humans disregard the Creator who created all things. And, because the world does not think that all things come from God, this is a sin against God. Knowledge and technology also lead to temptations to sin. Technology makes life easier, but humans also use it to elevate themselves. For example, people try to create rain and then put themselves at the same level as God; the smart ones lift their fists and think that they themselves are gods. Humans can play with nature, but can they create one seed without the Lord’s hand? They gather and transform seeds, but forget to think about the One who created the seed. Also, they develop computers and many smart things, but they forget about the One who created all the materials used in all things. Upon reading this comment, one might wonder if the Lord opposes technology. The answer is no; the Lord is not against technology, even the most advanced technology, as long as technology is not used against the Lord.
The next temptation to come to the whole world is greed. The greed of all things, not just the things of this world, but the greed for the unseen things as well, because the Lord calls some to do something, and those persons already think about the reward they will receive, that is greed. Humans need to feel important in this world and in the world to come. The sin of greed for the things of this world is a sin against God’s work. This greed makes humans wish for things that are not made by the hand of the Lord (i.e., biological cloning, DNA engineering, stem-cell engineering, in-vitro fertilization, transgenderism, transhumanism, tattooing and body transformation, etc.) and tempts them to think that they can be equal to God. To fight against greed, be content and thankful for what you have received; be content in all things. It doesn’t matter how small our blessings may be; just be content and grateful with a true heart. These temptations to sin spoken of in this verse are related directly to sin against the Lord.
“It is necessary for the stumbling blocks to come.” It is necessary for temptations to come because of the will of the Father to save humans. Temptations will help humans turn to the Lord; when they see that they alone cannot fight temptations, they will seek help from the Lord. The purpose of temptations to come is to save the obedient ones. This way works for those who listen and obey. But the ones who do not come, the Lord works with them as well, but they choose not to come (see 1 Corinthians 10:13). Not that the latter do not feel guilty, but they choose to have fun in the world.
“But woe to the one by whom the stumbling block comes!” Temptation cannot come on everyone; temptation doesn’t run by its own will. For those who do not stay in the Word of God, temptation has power over them. But, for those covered by the blood of the Lamb, it is their own fault that temptation comes upon them; they have the Lord as their shield to protect them, but they do not rely on Him. This woe is for those who are covered by the blood and yet ignore the Word of God. Many of them sin and blame the Lord for causing them to sin, but God does not cause anyone to sin (see James 1:13-18). There is no sin in God, so He cannot cause someone to sin (1 John 3:5).
8 And 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 into life crippled or lame than having two hands or two feet to be cast into the eternal fire.
This verse has been a stumbling block for many believers throughout the ages. It is essential to understand that the Lord will never ask us to harm our bodies. This body, the Lord created in His image; why would the Lord ask us to destroy His creation? The nature of God is mercy. His love and mercy are beyond our understanding. The proof God has shown is in His Own Son; the Lord Jesus has proved the love of God for the whole human race. Therefore, the verse refers to some of our activities that are not needed in our lives because these activities are useless for this earth and for the earth to come. Think about your daily life; how many useless things do you do? Consider these things as hands and feet, cut them off, and use your heart to pray to be able to discern them. Therefore, hands and feet refer to activities we do throughout our lives on earth. We use our feet to go here and there, and we use our hands to do this and that. Pray with the heart for all daily activities, and if they are useless, cut them off.
9 And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out, and throw it from you, it is better for you to enter into life having one eye than having two eyes to be cast into the hell of fire.
Here, the Lord does not mean that it is better to be born blind. The eyes are not easy to control, and the eyes feed the heart. Sometimes, we see things that we should not even look at, but it happens. When you see something, that thing will feed straight into your heart, so watch what you are looking at. There are many things the Lord created; use your eyes to see the blessings of the Lord. The world uses the word entertainment. Entertaining the flesh through your eyes weakens the soul: we cannot feel our soul clearly since our attention goes to entertain the eyes and the flesh. But let’s entertain our souls; the Bible should be the entertainment of all Christians. Use the Bible to entertain your eyes with the Word of God, and that will strengthen your soul and spirit.
Applications of the Woe of Matthew 18:7
We all have free will; the Lord God Almighty created us this way from the beginning of creation. As we journey through our lives on this earth, we encounter many stumbling blocks and sometimes engage in actions that do not please the Lord. But, for those who feel guilty from their hearts and respond to the Lord’s call, He has mercy on them when they repent. These individuals can develop an even greater love for the Lord, as demonstrated in Luke 7:40-50, where the Lord Jesus forgives a sinful woman because of her deep love for Him. This woman worshiped the Lord Jesus by anointing His head with oil, showing humility and respect by also anointing His feet. The Lord understands the inner thoughts of people’s hearts and shares the parable of the moneylender and the two debtors to illustrate how the Father has sent His beloved Son to pay our debts. In this section, we review two verses from this Bible passage in the Gospel of Luke, specifically Luke 7:41-42.
Luke 7:41 There were two debtors to a certain moneylender: the one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.
The Lord has given this parable for all to think about what these debtors owe. The verse may say they owe money, but the Lord of life did not come to talk about the way humans do business. But these two debtors owe praise to the Lord of Life for the fact that they are still alive and are able to make it right in this world. When you owe something to anyone on earth, you must repay it, but when you owe the One who gives your life, what should you think about the repayment?
In this parable, the moneylender is the Father Himself, and the debtors are all living creatures, not just humans, but all living. In this place, the amount owing, fifty or five hundred denarii, refers to what all humans are owing, those that know the Lord and those that never knew the Lord, but these latter ones should still be seeking to know the Lord, as the Lord has put in their hearts when they look around themselves and see all the creation of God. We could think that the fifty denarii debt is owed by those who know the Lord, and the five hundred denarii debt by those who never knew the Lord but see the creation of God around them. You know, or you do not know the Lord, that is the sin that will be counted. When you never knew about the Lord, you should still be seeking what the Lord has put inside you, but if you do not respond, it will be counted towards the amount you owe. The debt here is not sin alone, but the way humans spend life reflecting on what the Lord has put inside their hearts to think about their Creator.
By reading the text of this parable, humans can truly understand the sin to be related to the life of this earth. But for the Lord, who gives life to all humans, He is looking for those who come to give thanks to Him. Even those who have never heard about the Lord, when they look around themselves, can think as well, where all these things come from, and in the end, the conclusion will come, there is a Creator who created all, and we should praise Him.
42 Having nothing to pay back, he showed kindness to both. Which of them therefore will love him most?
“Having nothing to pay back, he showed kindness to both.” First, we do not look at this verse in a spiritual way. By the verse itself, when you owe something to someone, the person you owe to will expect you to pay them back with interest. But here in this verse, you cannot pay back what you owe to the Lord; you cannot pay back by money, but by doing good to others in the name of the Lord Jesus. The Lord has been so good to all of us; the Father has sent the beloved Son of God to die for all humans, but what can all humans do to pay back to the Father? No one on this earth can do anything directly to the Lord. But the only thing the Father is asking from us is to accept the teaching of the beloved Son of God and glorify His name because the beloved Son of God has paid the debt we owe to the Father; on the cross, the beloved Son of God has paid it all on our behalf. Both the big sin of one and the small sin of another have been paid. No one can say I am more beloved than another because neither can pay enough for the debt that they owe to the Father.
“Which of them therefore will love him most?” This question is the question to ask yourself: the sins you have committed, the beloved Son of God has paid for you, but what about the sins of your parents or your children, which in your eyes look so great? Nevertheless, if they all come and believe and beg for mercy, the beloved Son of God has paid that debt, too. Who can then say one person is more beloved than another? Because, in our hearts, we do not really care about the sins of others who do not relate to us, which is why we mention about family here. But, this is how all humans think, the same way: the sins of others are not mine, but when it comes to our own family, we ourselves are willing to pay for it. Therefore, as we care for our family, the Father cares for His family because all humans who have received the beloved Son of God are counted as His family. The idea is that the Lord does not favor one over another because they commit more or fewer sins. We are all sinners in His eyes. From God’s point of view, it doesn’t matter how much you sin; what matters is if you repent and give your heart to the Lord Jesus.
Conclusions
In conclusion, how can we connect our stumbling blocks to our repentance? Throughout our lives, we encounter many challenges, which we often refer to as roadblocks. Many of these obstacles arise due to our sinful lifestyles and our failure to acknowledge, glorify, and give thanks to our Creator, God Almighty. When we face these difficulties, if we lift our eyes to heaven and seek mercy and guidance, the merciful God will bestow His grace upon us in the name of His beloved Son, who came to earth and sacrificed Himself to save us. We owe our gratitude and worship to the Lord God Almighty for sending His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, as the only way for our redemption. Through His shed blood, He removes our guilt, allowing us to follow Him and approach the Father through Him.
If the Lord forgives us, should we continue to sin so that His grace is more evident in our lives? Romans 6:15-19 teaches us, through the Holy Spirit, that we can no longer be slaves to sin. Instead, we must become slaves to obedience, which leads to righteousness. Additionally, 1 John 3:4-10 reminds us that we cannot make a habit of sinning, as sin is lawlessness, and there is no sin in the Lord Jesus. We should practice righteousness and strive to live lives worthy of being called children of God. The Lord Jesus is the door and the only way to the Father and the Holy Spirit. He serves as the mediator between humans and God the Father and the Holy Spirit, with the Lord Jesus at the center, bridging this world and the unseen world. For anyone to follow the Lord’s teaching requires faith. Therefore, whether we are believers or not, we should look to creation, honor the Creator of all things, and thank Him for sending His beloved Son to be the propitiation for our sins (1 John 2:2) and make the Lord Jesus our Lord and Savior. You may hear or read the Word of God, but if you do not practice the teachings of the Word of God, the Word of God will never make root in you. To practice it requires you to pray and meditate on the Word of God that you have heard or read and believe the teaching that God is Trinity (Three in One: God the Father, God the Son, Jesus Christ, and God the Holy Spirit), the Lord Jesus is God, the Lord Jesus is human, the Lord Jesus is our Holy Teacher, but also the Lord Jesus is the begotten Son of God. Also, practicing means believing in who the Lord Jesus is for humans.
Meditation Tasks
- Let us meditate on God’s grace and consider whether we are consistently following the teachings of the Lord Jesus. Are we living a life that reflects His holiness and is worthy of His calling? We also encourage all readers to deepen their understanding of the Trinity of God by reading our article titled “Understanding the Trinity of God and the Deity of the Lord Jesus.”
- We encourage all readers to explore the Book of Genesis and reflect on the Creation. As you meditate on Genesis, you can also read our accompanying meditation blogs. We have published five blogs on the Book of Genesis: “Meditation in Genesis Part 1,” “Meditation in Genesis Part 2,” “Meditation in Genesis Part 3,” “Meditation in Genesis Part 4,” and “Meditation in Genesis Part 5.”