In these passages (Matthew 18:6–9; Mark 9:42–48; Luke 17:2) Jesus warns sharply against causing vulnerable people to sin. Matthew and Mark both include Jesus’ graphic command: if your hand, foot, or eye causes you to sin, remove it — better to enter life maimed than to be thrown into eternal punishment. Mark adds the vivid image “where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched” (echoing Isaiah) and emphasizes the communal danger of leading others astray. Luke records the same idea more compactly: it would be better for someone to have a millstone hung around their neck and be cast into the sea than to cause a little one to stumble. (John does not include this teaching.)
This passage reveals Jesus’ fierce care for the weak and the holiness of the Kingdom. He refuses to sentimentalize sin or to treat people as collateral damage; the heart of the Gospel protects the vulnerable. The hyperbole is intentional — it forces us to reckon with how our words, choices, or positions of influence can wound another’s faith. At the same time, the urgency carries hope: Jesus calls us away from anything that would harden us or harm others and toward repentance and restoration.
Practical today: ask God to show you one place where you might be a stumbling block — a habit, an offhand joke, a boundary you’ve ignored, a workplace choice that pressures others. Confess it to someone you trust, remove or change the behavior, and make amends if needed. If you lead others, put protections in place and mentor the young or weak in faith. Such small, costly changes honor Christ and protect the ones he loves.
Matthew: 18:6-9
Jesus warns that causing “little ones” to sin brings severe judgment — it would be better to have a millstone hung around one’s neck and be drowned than to lead a child astray. He then urges radical action to remove anything (even a hand or an eye, figuratively) that causes one to sin, because it is better to enter life maimed than to be thrown into hell (Gehenna).
Open VerseMark: 9:42-48
Jesus warns that causing others—especially “little ones”—to sin brings severe judgment, and therefore it is better to remove anything (even at great personal cost) that leads you to sin than to be thrown into eternal punishment; he stresses the seriousness of hell with the image of unquenchable fire where “the worm does not die.”
Open VerseLuke: 17:2
Jesus sternly warns that causing a "little one"—a vulnerable person or believer—to stumble is a grave offense, saying it would be far better for the offender to suffer a severe fate than to lead someone into sin. The verse emphasizes the seriousness of protecting the faith and well-being of those who are weak or impressionable.
Open Verse