Causing one to Stumble

I often look back fondly of my youth, growing up ‘in the country’ off ‘the beaten path’. When I do, most of my memories involve my brothers Adam and John and our neighbor Cole. I remember the time we were all down on the river bed kicking rocks and just having fun in the river. Cole saw a Pepsi can and decided to kick it: that was the end of the fun for the day. He slipped on some mud and ended up breaking his arm. I remember the four of us sledding down the cliff in the middle of a snow storm even though we couldn’t see the bottom until we got there hoping cars were not driving down the road. And, not to be lost in my mind I remember all the time we spent riding our bicycles ramping off stuff, racing and sometimes throwing sticks into one another’s tires. I’m sure Adam still remembers the cup from Long John Silvers that broke when I hit is back tire with my front tire causing him to crash hard to the chip and sealed (gravel mixed with tar) road.

A lot of good times were made in that river, in the fields and on the cliff I remember so vividly. Most of which involve someone falling, tripping, slipping, colliding or otherwise ending up on the ground. I don’t find falling as fun today as I remember it being in my youth. Missing a step and falling down the stairs while holding my six-month-old little boy was scary. I was hoping he was not hurt they whole time not even caring about myself. That is so fresh on my mind this morning that it precluded any other thought when deciding to write about.

Matthew, Mark and Luke all record a lesson Jesus taught one day as they were traveling. He knew some of his disciples had been arguing on the road and he asked them what it was all about and they responded “Lord, who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Jesus calls a child to himself and told them that unless the were converted to be like that small child they could not enter the kingdom, but that whoever would humble himself like that child would be the greatest in the kingdom. He continues that whoever receives such a child receives Him but he gives a grave warning; whoever causes such a one to stumble, it would be better for him that a stone be tied around his neck and he drown in the sea.

We know that Jesus here is not talking about physically causing a child to stumble but rather spiritually cause a believer to stumble. Sometimes I wonder if we get so caught up making sure we done trip and fall that we push someone else to the ground spiritually and never notice or care. Let us each one pledge to look out not just for ourselves but for our fellow man that we would cause no one to miss God and his saving grace.

The corresponding passages discussed here are found in Matt. 18, Mark 9 and Luke 9