Dean Butler

Jesus did not say stumbling blocks might come. He said they will.

“It is inevitable that stumbling blocks come, but woe to him through whom they come!” (Luke 17:1)

That means two things right out of the gate. You will face them, and you must not become one.

A stumbling block is anything that trips someone into sin or pulls them away from truth. It can be obvious or subtle. Bad counsel, careless words, compromise that makes sin look harmless, even a “freedom” that weakens someone who is not as strong.

Scripture does not tell us to pretend these traps are not there. It tells us to stay alert. “Be on guard…” (Luke 21:34) That applies not only to what you face, but to what you allow through your own life. Not every influence is harmless, and not every path is safe. Some things are set like traps, hidden until it is too late.

At the same time, Jesus turns the warning back on us. “Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes!” (Matthew 18:7) God draws a hard line. Stumbling blocks are everywhere, but the one who sets them will answer for it.

So the question is not only, “What do I need to avoid?” but also, “What am I putting in front of others?” “Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this — not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother’s way.” (Romans 14:13). That is a decision, not to be careless and not to live in a way that trips someone else.

And it goes even further. “But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.” (1 Corinthians 8:9) Something may be allowed, and something may not bother you at all, but if it leads someone else into sin, it becomes a trap.

That is where this gets real. It forces a man to look at his life and ask not just, “Is this wrong?” but, “Who could this harm?”

Jesus did not warn about stumbling blocks for no reason. You may not be able to stop every trap in the world, but you are responsible for the ones that come through you.

In the end, it is not just about avoiding sin. It is about refusing to be the reason someone else falls.

(Dean Butler is a faith-based writer and Bible teacher based in Newcastle.)