“Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!”
My Notes
What Does Matthew 18:7 Mean?
Jesus pronounces a double woe: woe to the world because offenses must come, and woe to the person through whom they come. Offenses (skandala — stumbling blocks, traps that cause people to fall) are inevitable in a fallen world. But inevitability doesn't excuse the person who causes them.
The tension is deliberate: it must needs be that offenses come. The fallenness of the world guarantees that people will be tripped, deceived, and caused to stumble. Jesus isn't surprised by this. He expects it. But — woe to the channel. The person who becomes the instrument of someone else's fall bears specific responsibility.
The distinction between the inevitability of offense and the accountability of the offender is crucial. "It must come" doesn't mean "you must be the one to deliver it." The systemic reality doesn't excuse the individual choice. Sin will enter the room. But you don't have to be the door.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Are you aware of ways you might be a 'stumbling block' to someone — even unintentionally?
- 2.How does the distinction between 'offenses must come' and 'woe to the one who brings them' shape your sense of responsibility?
- 3.Where are you using your freedom or influence in ways that might trip someone who's weaker?
- 4.What does it mean to live in a broken world (offenses will come) while refusing to be the mechanism that delivers them?
Devotional
Offenses will come. That's guaranteed. But woe to the person who brings them.
Jesus holds two truths simultaneously: the world will produce stumbling blocks, and the people who become those stumbling blocks are accountable. The inevitability doesn't excuse the individual. The system is broken — yes. People will fall — yes. But if you're the one who tripped them, the woe falls on you specifically.
This is a critical distinction. "It must needs be" means Jesus isn't naive about the world's capacity for harm. He knows offenses are coming. He's not surprised when people stumble. But "woe to that man" means He holds the individual agent responsible within the system. You can't say "well, someone was going to cause this offense anyway." Maybe. But you didn't have to be the someone.
The word skandalon means a trap — specifically the trigger mechanism in a snare. The offender isn't just someone who happens to be present when someone falls. They're the trigger. The mechanism. The specific cause.
Are you a trigger for someone's fall? Not through persecution or obvious evil, necessarily. Through carelessness. Through influence used without integrity. Through the casual deployment of your freedom in ways that trip someone weaker.
Offenses will come. Don't be the door they walk through.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Woe unto the world because of offences!.... By which are meant, not sins, as sometimes, but rather temptations to sin;…
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As there never was a greater pattern of humility, so there never was a greater preacher of it, than Christ; he took all…
Of Offences. Mar 9:43-48
From offences hindrances to the faith of Christ's little ones the discourse proceeds to…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture