Matthew 18:6, commentary and pictures

To cause one of Christ's believing little ones to stumble into sin and loss of faith is so guilty an act that drowning with a heavy stone about the neck would be a kinder fate. The little ones are not only children in years but all believers in Jesus, especially those young, weak, trembling, discouraged, erring and struggling to obey. The warning was given when the disciples were contending over greatness, and Jesus set a little child before them to teach that entrance into the kingdom requires conversion and becoming humble, teachable and lowly like a child. They are unspeakably precious to Him because He bought them with His own blood and counts every injury, contempt or neglect toward them as done to Himself, while their angels ever behold the Father's face and it is the Father's will that not one perish. Therefore true greatness is not position or display but Christlike humility, meekness, purity and love that receives, protects, encourages and seeks the straying instead of despising, wounding or driving them away.

Setting and Occasion

The warning was given while the disciples were disputing which of them would be greatest in the earthly kingdom they still expected to be set up. Jesus called a little child and set him in their midst as an object lesson of the character of the kingdom and as the pattern to be imitated, correcting their false idea of His work and teaching that entrance and greatness in heaven require conversion and humbling oneself as a little child. He did not set Peter or any other before them as superior, but taught that the one who humbles himself as the child is greatest there, and that receiving such a little child in His name is receiving Him. That greatness is not earthly display or splendor, wealth, position, or striving for supremacy, but spiritual excellence of character bearing Christ's likeness, converted from pride, ambition, and desire for worldly honor, cherishing a submissive, meek, lowly and teachable spirit willing to wear His yoke and learn of Him, walking wisely in a perfect way, eagerly desiring to take His hand to be led in safe paths, and being changed into His spotless likeness. The little child in simplicity displays the humility God's children must display, a humility seen in Jesus the Majesty of heaven, who at the cost of His own life took the nature of weak, sinful humanity to rescue a fallen race, came to battle the powers of darkness, overcame sin, and opened the way so that everyone who receives Him as Saviour may also overcome.

The warning belongs to a connected lesson on conversion, humility, receiving little ones, not despising them, woe because offenses will come yet woe to the man by whom the offense comes, and the saving of the lost. Offenses must come and woe rests on the world because of them, but woe rests also on the person who causes them, and no one is to despise these little ones, whose angels behold the Father in heaven, for Christ came to save the lost and it is not the Father's will that even one of them perish. The whole of Matthew 18 is definite instruction for the church for dealing with erring members and for church discipline, and it must be followed carefully. It is an important lesson for God's people at this time, to be read with a humble heart softened by penitence and prayer, taken personally to heart, obeyed strictly, and answered as the lesson on who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven to be heeded.

Becoming as a little child does not require adults to fulfill the words literally in their time by crawling or creeping on the floor as children to show humility. Humility is shown not by crawling on the floor but by a dignified, Christlike life of gentleness, helpfulness, kind words, and unselfish acts.

Identity of Little Ones

The little ones who believe are not babies by age but believers in Jesus, little children in Christ. They are not children young in years but new believers young in the Christian life, people inexperienced in following Christ who need childlike guidance as they seek the kingdom of heaven and the things of God. They are weak and trembling souls with many defects and objectionable traits of character, humble disciples simple and humble in heart who trust Christ and seek to obey Him and His requirements. They must be treated with love and tenderness, taught the way of truth by instruction and example, respected rather than harmed or turned aside, for to cause such a believer to stumble or lose faith brings a terrible judgment likened to drowning with a millstone about the neck.

They include those young in years, young in experience, and weak or little in faith, including the vulnerable who must not be despised. They include those struggling against sin and seeking Christ, erring, straying, remorseful, desponding and discouraged souls, as well as literal believing children and other humble followers who must not be harmed, led away, controlled or oppressed. They include Christ's disciples made meek, lowly, teachable and submissive, both new believers and those who feel their own weakness. To fail to help and bless them, to treat them harshly or unkindly, to discourage and dishearten them, to hold them in contempt and persist in fault-finding and opposition, is to offend them and incurs guilt so great that drowning with a millstone would be better.

They are those converted to become as little children in learning the way of the Lord, courageous yet simple and trustful, recounting God's love, goodness, compassion, mercies and wonderful works with praise and thanksgiving. Their childlike qualities are humility and freedom from guile, hypocrisy, selfishness and unkindness. Whoever humbles himself as such a little child is greatest in the kingdom of heaven, and to receive one such little child in Christ's name is to receive Christ.

In particular settings this includes the child Christ placed among His disciples as the pattern of tenderness and care, and by extension believing children whose simplicity must not be destroyed and whose angels behold the Father. It includes children described as little ones in Christ who are to be helped to gain victories and not provoked to anger by word or action, though faithful discipline when they do wrong is not forbidden. It includes youth who enter restaurant work as believers desiring to help God's cause, who are God's helping hand and must be treated carefully and tenderly as family in a home with home privileges and spiritual care to keep them alive spiritually. To crowd them into small dark rooms, deprive them of home influences, leave them exposed to worldly influence until they grow weary, disheartened, cold and indifferent and lose zeal and courage, and to cause workers or believing little ones to stumble or suffer spiritual harm, is so grave an offense that drowning with a millstone would be better.

Meaning of Offending Them

To offend one of the little ones is to cause a believer to stumble and sin, to lose faith and turn from the right path and from God. It is to lead the inexperienced and vulnerable away from the things of God into deception and spiritual harm. This is especially grave when the one harmed is struggling against sin and seeking Christ, for to obstruct that journey is to risk that soul's ruin and loss. The little ones here are not babies by age but believers like little children who need childlike guidance as they seek the kingdom of heaven.

Offending includes failing to help and bless, selfishly neglecting weak and trembling souls with defects, and treating them with harshness, unkindness, contempt and despising. It includes discouraging and disheartening them, judging and condemning them, and dealing with them in an unforgiving and exacting spirit. It includes indifference and coldness, hasty and severe manner, self-importance, careless and disparaging words that plant suspicion and bitterness, and criticism and condemnation instead of patience, love and forbearance. Such conduct causes pain, sorrow, grief and despair and can turn another from the way of life, and wrongs against the least and weakest count with the same gravity as wrongs against Christ Himself.

Offending also includes seeking supremacy and indulging a self-seeking and contentious spirit that hinders spirituality. It includes denouncing believers and pronouncing judgment upon them, spreading accusations, suspicions and harmful reports, dwelling on faults and making them conversation, and criticism and faultfinding with evil surmising and censure from hearsay. It includes persecuting with the tongue, oppressing and domineering, and persistent fault-finding and opposition that damages both souls and the church. It includes rivalry and harshness that hinders, represses and obstructs another's good work for Christ, even forbidding a humble servant to work merely because he does not follow another's plans.

Offending further includes deliberately misleading by deception and wrong example, placing stumbling blocks that lead others into sin and weakening influence for good. It includes perverting books, enticing to vanity and impurity, corrupting minds, covering grievous sin, and laying snares and secret plans that draw people into temptation. It includes making the Sabbath a source of needless irritation or quarrels with neighbors so that unbelievers are made to hate the Christian for other reasons than following Christ and doing good, thereby becoming a stumbling block to sinners and a reproach to sacred truth. It includes taking Christ's place by controlling the minds of His blood-bought people and turning a soul away from the word, which endangers eternal life, and threatening believers in this way belongs to Satan's work near the end of time.

Gravity of the Judgment

To cause such harm brings guilt so great that to be drowned in the depth of the sea with a millstone hanged about the neck would be better for the offender. It is a terrible doom, worse than death itself. So grievous is it that it were better never to have been born, better not to live, than to destroy faith in a soul. Better to surrender even something as valuable as a hand than to harm a soul for whom such a price was paid.

Woe rests on the world because of offenses, and woe rests on the man by whom the offense comes. Offenses are sure to come, yet that certainty does not excuse the one who brings them, for his course decides eternal destiny. It is a heaven-shutting sin, which God sees and weighs and marks and records and calls to account. Offenders will be punished in proportion to the light and opportunity they had.

The one who causes the offense is held guilty, while faithful believers are not answerable for his wrong course. He must halt and turn from the wrong course. He must receive reproof and repent and confess and make restitution and end dissension and alienation, lest by refusing correction the harm continue.

Value and Heavenly Care

Believers are very precious to Christ because He purchased them at an infinite cost with His blood to secure their eternal salvation, leaving the royal courts of heaven and enduring sin and shame and dying in man's stead to make man free. They are dear to Him as the apple of the eye, and He is with them in trial, want, perplexity and distress, bidding them follow Him and never leaving them as they obey in faithfulness. This includes those struggling against sin and seeking Christ, weak and trembling souls with many defects and objectionable traits, desponding and discouraged believers and those trying to obey the truth with no encouragement at home amid unbelief and darkness. To treat one with indifference, contempt, or selfish neglect, to hurt the oil and the wine by careless word and action, to tear down, discourage and destroy, is a daring and grave wrong shown by the severe image of a millstone and drowning. Therefore every word and action must be guarded carefully, and they must be dealt with patiently, kindly, affectionately and tenderly, with faithful earnest labor to lift up the desponding and to encourage and help rather than obstruct their journey toward God.

Christ identifies His interest with suffering humanity so that any injustice, injury, contempt, indifference or hindrance done to them counts as done to Him, for He is present in each believing child. He regards wrongs against the least and weakest of His people as wrongs against Himself, sees the injury, and calls the offender to account, punishing in proportion to the light and opportunity had. Harshness, contempt, unkindness and indifference can wound a soul and drive it from Christ, making those entrusted with influence responsible for the souls they damage. Offending in this sense includes persecuting believers with the tongue, exerting influence to bring them into difficult places, and interposing one's own way and will between God and souls who would do Him service, especially when jealousy, accusations or suspicion drive away those Christ came to save.

Their angels always behold the face of the Father and receive His charge concerning them, standing before Him and working with children to impress their minds alongside their teacher. It is not the Father's will that one of them should perish, for the Son of man came to save that which was lost. Like a shepherd He came to a cursed world to meet humanity and uplift the degraded and fallen and outcast, leaving the ninety and nine to seek the one sheep gone astray and rejoicing when it is found. Therefore no one should despise these little ones, though offenses will come and woe rests on the man by whom they come. His followers must study and practice this lesson, putting away the masterly spirit that lords it over God's heritage and learning His compassion toward the erring, for unless this care is brought into practical life they will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

The severity of the millstone and drowning shows His care and lays a grave duty to protect those who belong to Christ, especially those young in faith, lest doubt or unbelief become the means of their ruin. Vulnerable and erring souls must be treated with tender care, sympathy, patience, love and forbearance rather than criticism and condemnation, harshness or unloving conduct that endangers souls. Others should encourage and help rather than obstruct, drawing them to Christ with sympathy, tenderness and love instead of wounding or driving them away from Him. To receive one such little child in His name is to receive Christ, and whoever humbles himself as a little child is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

That humility is displayed in simplicity by the little child and supremely in Jesus Christ, the Majesty of heaven, who at the cost of His own life took the nature of weak, sinful humanity to rescue a fallen race. He came to battle the powers of darkness, overcame sin, and opened the way so that everyone who receives Him as Saviour may also overcome. Entrance into the kingdom requires conversion to become as little children in learning the way of the Lord, with self brought into submission to the yoke of Christ who is meek and lowly in heart. Those who desire to be saved must be willing to be saved in the Lord's appointed way and not in a way of their own choosing, for the free grace of God is man's only hope.

Humility and True Greatness

Entrance into the kingdom of heaven requires conversion and becoming as a little child, and whoever humbles himself as a little child is greatest there, while receiving such a little child in Christ's name is receiving Christ Himself. The child set in the midst was made the pattern and standard to correct false ideas of greatness, rebuking striving for supremacy and self-seeking as a great hindrance to spirituality. In simplicity the little child displays the humility God's children must display, eagerly desiring to take Christ's hand to be led in safe paths. That humility is seen in Jesus Christ, the Majesty of heaven, who at the cost of His own life took the nature of weak, sinful humanity to rescue a fallen race, battled the powers of darkness, overcame sin, and opened the way so that everyone who receives Him as Saviour may also overcome.

Greatness with God is not earthly display, outward splendor, position, wealth, authority, or outward exaltation, which are of no weight with Him, but spiritual excellence of character bearing the semblance of Christ's spotless character. It is spiritual purity, excellence of speech, meekness and lowliness, a submissive spirit willing to wear Christ's yoke and learn of Him, obedience to every word from His mouth, and carrying out mercy, justice, and the love of God. It requires true conversion from pride, ambition, and desire for worldly honor and position, with natural defects of disposition changed for the virtues of Christ's character into a humble, submissive, charitable, kind, and merciful spirit. True happiness is not wealth or position but a pure clean heart cleansed by obedience to the truth, treating men firmly and generously, forgiving injuries instead of avenging them, and showing Christlike love as proof of real transformation of character. Doing the opposite dishonors God and mars His cause, for no member is to seek supremacy, exalt self, praise self, or think and speak evil of one another, since that pride and disunity offends fellow believers and separates from God.

Followers must therefore deny self, humble themselves, and be yielding and submissive like a little child, walking wisely in a perfect way and being changed into Christ's likeness. Self must be brought into submission to the yoke of Christ who is meek and lowly in heart, and those who desire to be saved must be willing to be saved in the Lord's appointed way and not in a way of their own choosing, for the free grace of God is man's only hope. They are to walk and work in all humility of mind, to look after and encourage the weakest, loving all who believe in Him and exerting a Christlike influence. The little ones who believe are the weakest believers, simple and humble in faith, who may serve God most acceptably, and in the Lord's kingdom those who served Him in humility and simplicity with confiding trust will be placed first and especially honored. In a Christian home this same first work applies, that the Spirit of Christ abide there so every member takes the cross and follows where Jesus leads, for those without a childlike disposition are not in sympathy with Christ and do not know Him by experience.

Sincere belief in Christ must guide conduct and daily dealings with others, with special care not to offend believing little ones, for mere profession of following Christ without doing His Word leaves one counterfeit, without the right ring. Followers must not retain childish character defects as virtues or lead others astray by their conduct. They are to become courageous and yet simple and trustful as a little child, with true humility evidenced by seeing and telling of the love and goodness and compassion of God and by recounting His mercies and His wonderful works with praise and thanksgiving.

Practical Duties and Warnings

Teachers and schools must be converted and become as little children themselves, putting away harsh, arbitrary, angry treatment that bruises students and destroys manhood and hope. Shaking children, forcing the teacher's will upon them, thrusting them onto Satan's battleground, exposing faults, acting without patience and love, and failing to help and bless are offenses that drive souls to desperation and keep prodigals out of the kingdom, so that it would be better to drown with a millstone or even not to live than to live without the love commanded toward them. Instead teachers must put themselves in the child's place and on his level, remembering his trials are greater to him than theirs to them, love him so he knows he is loved, and deal with his mind as tenderly as Christ has dealt with them. When correction is needed it must be given alone with prayer and kindness in a soft voice, talking with him, showing him Christ's will, binding him to the heart rather than laying sudden hands on him, seeking and saving the lost, restoring self-respect, refusing books that pervert truth, and practicing compassion, tenderness and love daily toward young people who belong to Jesus, whose simplicity must not be destroyed and whose angels show how grave it is to offend them.

Parents and homes bear the same charge to guide children without scolding, irritation, impatience, cross words or a harmful spirit that saddens, discourages, weakens good influence, stirs passions or provokes to anger. They must teach patiently step by step and encourage efforts of those who are learning, faithfully discipline wrongdoing without letting faults develop, and protect children as far as possible from Satan's temptations and from stumbling blocks. This includes not oppressing children or burdening them with demands the Word of God does not warrant, since children belong to God and injustice to them counts as injustice to Him for which parents are accountable, and not choosing vain, proud, unbelieving companions for them that would lead them away from Jesus to spiritual harm. It also requires removing stumbling blocks by repentance, guarding against untruthfulness, keeping home life elevated, cleansed and sanctified, and treating even an afflicted, desponding believer in the home who fears she is forsaken and has committed the unpardonable sin very tenderly with love, kindness, humbled heart and united earnest prayer, acting so consistently as a true servant of Christ that her confidence is increased and she is not tempted to question piety.

Those in high positions, ministers and all entrusted with sacred responsibilities and influence over others are especially warned not to seek supremacy, cherish pride, self-seeking, self-esteem, self-exaltation and contention, rule as kings, use controlling power, control minds, oppress, denounce, pronounce judgment, act impatiently or boastfully, or hastily remove workers. Rivalry, harshness, contempt, unkind treatment and a wish to control others that obstructs another's good work for Christ, forbids a humble servant to work merely for not following another's plans, wounds a soul, creates dissension and becomes a stumbling block must be repented of with deep change of heart and humbling before God. Instead they must give counsel that protects and strengthens, set an example that can be safely followed, make obedience easy, uplift rather than hurt, and give children and humble childlike believers careful attention so they are not harmed or led away from faith.

Church members must obey the verse as a pledged rule for dealing with the erring and follow carefully the Saviour's instruction for correcting them in order to save, not from self-importance. They bear serious responsibility not to cause those young in faith to stumble through doubt or unbelief to their ruin, but to care for vulnerable, erring and straying souls with patience, love, forbearance, tenderness and sympathy rather than criticism, condemnation, harshness or unloving, unwise words that bring grief and lasting harm to those doing God's work. This means governing thoughts and words in love, laboring for those outside Christ, cooperating with Christ and angels instead of annoying the weak, and treating fellow workers and restaurant employees as family with home privileges and spiritual care.

Distinct cases show the scope of the warning. Criticism and faultfinding that offend believers through dissension, strife to be highly esteemed, suspicion and distrust is expressly the work of the devil, repeating what Satan began in the heavenly courts when he suggested a change in God's government, won sympathy by deception, sowed suspicion and distrust of God and of one another, and started strife and rebellion until he and the disloyal angels were expelled for the good of the loyal, and the verse in plain, decided, clear-cut words must be read to anyone who begins it to trace out disaffection and its evil consequences. Threatening and offending believers is the work Satan does near the end of time, deserving a terrible judgment for which swift drowning would be better, requiring all to consider the path their feet are treading. Making the Sabbath a source of needless irritation or quarrels with neighbors and behaving so unbelievers hate the Christian for reasons other than following Christ and doing good makes one a stumbling block to sinners and a reproach to sacred truth requiring repentance. Those who commit grievous impurity, break more than one commandment, corrupt another and agree to cover up as though no great wrong was done, with corrupt hearts, unclean hands, stain and heavy reproach on the cause, face fearful retribution, for God's eye notices every secret act and thought written in the book, so drowning with a millstone would have been better. So too Rodney's influence that dragged down those who had cared for him tenderly, weakened their spiritual life and brought misery threatening their well-being falls under the millstone image for leading believers into sin, and even a sparrow's fall is noticed, so harm to blood-bought souls will surely be judged.