The Little Sinners Jesus Loves Part 1

Introduction

God’s Hatred of the Scandalous

We have seen how the disciple’s interpretation of the Kingdom of Heaven was still quite worldly. They could not reconcile the fact that the Christ must die in Jerusalem, and they have ignorantly argued about who would be the greatest in the Kingdom. How many more, throughout the ages, have seen the Church as an arena in which to gain power and control rather than humility and service? In the teachings we have before us in this sermon, Jesus continues to turn the natural ideas we may have about his Kingdom upside down by revealing the great blessing of serving the lowly and the great danger of offending them.

It should be noted that when Jesus speaks of little children, he is using a spiritual metaphor. While these would also apply to literal children, the main idea is that these children are those who have humbled themselves and perhaps are still very weak in their faith, or in some area of faith.

What is a Stumbling Block?

We will first look at the danger Christ gives in this text of creating a stumbling block, or offense, for the little ones Jesus loves, and then see the great blessing and necessity of showing them the same love he showed us.

The Greek word skandalon is used in verse 6 and is translated in the ESV causes…to sin. Other translations may put cause for offense or stumbling block. The literal sense of this word means to lay a trap or stumbling block for someone to trip and fall. We see this word used this way in the LXX, the Greek translation of the OT used in Jesus’ day, in Lev 19:14

Leviticus 19:14 ESV

You shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God: I am the Lord.

The essence of the word is that this stumbling block, or offense, is anything or anyone that takes advantage of someone’s weakness in order to bring them down.

The word is often used in metaphorical ways, especially to describe leading someone who is weak in their faith to sin. It describes how the Canaanites whom the Israelites failed to drive out of the promised land would be a stumbling block to Israel by leading them into the worship of false gods. The Psalms often talk about the traps that the wicked set for the righteous and interestingly Is 8:14 speaks of the Messiah’s coming being a stumbling block to all who do not put their faith in him.

This is something that both Paul and Peter reflect on. Peter tells us that this is due to the disobedience and unbelief of those who stumble. 1 Peter 2:8

1 Peter 2:8 ESV

and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.

Indeed, we see that Jesus’ preaching of the cross was a stumbling block to even his disciples. Many of them left Jesus because they found his teaching about eating his flesh and drinking his blood in John 6 offensive. Jesus’ teaching on clean and unclean food offended, or made a stumbling block for, the Pharisees. So we see that there is a certain stumbling block that is right to put. However, this stumbling block is always the truth of Christ as the fulfillment of the law and his death and resurrection. In other words, the only stumbling block which a righteous person may set up is the simple truth of the Gospel. It must not be their attitude, language, or method of speaking this, only the message itself. In that case, the real stumbling block is the unbelief of those who are offended.

However, the offense or stumbling block Jesus is speaking of here is a great evil which must draw our great attention. The one who creates such a stumbling block is creating a situation in which the childlike Christian, the lowly one who is perhaps weak in their faith, is put in danger of sin. This is not necessarily intentional, but does reflect an attitude of carelessness and lovelessness towards other Christians. An example comes to us from Romans 14:13 where Paul is speaking to Christians, strong in their view of Christian freedom in what we can eat, who must be careful that enjoying their freedom in Christ does not hurt the weaker Christians whose consciences are bound to limit their diet because of the pagan practices surrounding meat sacrifices.

Romans 14:13 ESV

Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.

In this case, those who felt free to eat the meat sold in the market were right, but they were using their rights in a way that could lead someone whose conscience was weak to go against what they believed, and so to sin in their heart against God. In this way, someone eating meat in a completely legitimate way could bring an unnecessary temptation to someone who was weak and cause them to stumble into sin. Paul would then go on in Romans 15:1

Romans 15:1 ESV

We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves.

Examples of Stumbling Blocks

As we’ve just seen, enjoying Christian rights in an unloving way can lead other Christians to sin.

Sin or encouragement to sin can lead others to sin as well. As the children’s hymn goes, be careful little hands what you do, and, be careful little feet where you go. Not just for your sake, but the sake of little eyes of little Christian souls watching you.

A clear example of this would be those who claim that homosexuality is a legitimate expression of sexuality for a Christian. While they claim that theirs is the loving position, who knows how many little ones they have led into sin because of their lies?

Another example would be human organizations, like the Roman Papacy which falsely calls itself Catholic. These lead little ones astray in multiple ways, but one way that is clear is leading them into ungodly forms of worship. Prayers to saints, veneration of Mary, and bowing before images are a strange fire in God’s eyes. There is no one we should pray to but God, there is no human being we should venerate but Jesus, and prostrating ourselves before images is a strange fire in God’s temple. How many of God’s little children have stumbled over these things under the false pretense of authority which the pope demands?

False teaching brings about a stumbling block. While not all false teaching is equally harmful, we should seek the truth as much as possible so that we are as free from stumbling blocks as possible. There are, however, some teachings that can be such an offense to God’s children that it puts their very souls in jeopardy. These we must cut off from ourselves and avoid like the plague, lest in playing with fire we should burn not only ourselves but the little ones we are called to serve.

Loveless disagreement. Although false teaching can create a stumbling block, an overzealous reaction to secondary issues can as well. How many children have been led to abandon their love of the brethren because someone told them that those people are not real Christians because of what they believe about baptism, what Bible translation they use, whether or not they are a Calvinist, or their beliefs about other secondary issues.

Hypocrisy. What an offense hypocrisy can bring to Christ’s little children. When the children are told they must behave one way while those with power and authority behave another way, their hearts are burdened and they are led into hypocrisy themselves. This was the case of the Roman Papists in the days of the reformation. Even today, the associate between child abuse and Roman Priests and even Protestant pastors is a great grief to the church because of much hypocrisy. It is no wonder that hypocrisy was the sin that seemed to anger Jesus the most in his ministry.

Heeding a Dark Warning

There is the most serious warning in the text, the warning against becoming a tempter of God’s little ones. There is no doubt in my mind that the darkest place in hell is reserved, not for the worst of sinners, but for those who led God’s children into sin. Such love does God have for his little ones that to lead a Christian into sin makes you a most hated enemy of God. Indeed, a better fate would be to be drowned in the sea or any other horrible and painful death. The Bible has much to say in both the Old and New Testament of the great anger, even hatred, which God has for anyone who would seek to hurt those he loved to the point of giving his own Son over to death on the cross for them.

The Apostle John shows us the reverse relationship that exists between love and being a stumbling block for other Christians. 1 John 2:10-11

1 John 2:10–11 ESV

Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

The irony here is logical. Someone who is in the darkness becomes a stumbling block because they themselves cannot see well enough to avoid stumbling. Not only do they stumble, they bring others down with them and so show themselves to not abide in the love and light of God.

Let us, then, take the advice of Paul in Eph 5:15

Ephesians 5:15 ESV

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise,

It is not only our souls that are in danger if we stumble around in the darkness. Eventually, we will trip up someone else. If you would live in sin rather than follow Christ, I implore you to stay as far away from Christians as possible. You will still go to hell, but the judgement will be far greater if you cause one of Jesus’ little children to stumble in your pursuit of sin.

The Blessing of Receiving the Little

How shall we avoid setting stumbling blocks before Christ’s little ones? Now that we have seen the negative command, what not to do, let us not turn our attention to the positive command. Christians are to love, rather than to set stumbling blocks before other Christians. Love is not simply a refraining from offense, it is embracing the affection Christ has for the weakest and humblest of his children.

Lean Morris writes:

The Gospel according to Matthew 4. Life in the Messianic Community, 18:1–35

It is the habit of the world to serve the great and the popular, but for the follower of Jesus the priority must be to receive and welcome the world’s little people.

In the church, it is those who view themselves as little children in terms of their meekness and humility that will be considered great. In our interactions with other Christians, our goal must be to love and receive them, for our text says that to receive another little one because they belong to Christ is to receive Jesus himself.

There is no distinction in the NT between loving Jesus and loving other Christians, especially the particularly meek and humble among us. Just as Christ came to this world in a lowly state, he remains in his church in the little ones who have humbled themselves and called upon his name for forgiveness of sin and eternal life. Such meekness makes you vulnerable, but their Lord is an avenger of those who would take advantage of them.

The reformer Martin Luther was disgusted at the way Christ’s little children were abused for money and power because they had been told that the authority of Christ rested on the pope. We may be equally disgusted in the way fundamentalists lay little ones with burdens that have no scriptural backing. Likewise, more liberal teachers to assure a little one that they should not worry about sexual immorality or sin at all.

But how do we keep ourselves from such evil? Through love. See the care the shepherd has for his sheep, especially those who are led astray? Verse 10 says that their angels always see the face of the Father who is in heaven. This likely does not refer to guardian angels, as is sometimes interpreted. The word angel can sometimes refer to the souls of departed saints (Acts 12:15 referring to Peter’s ghost as his angel). This is probably the case here; Jesus is assuring us that such little ones see the face of God in their rest after death. Even so, we are reminded that God sends his angels specifically to attend to the needs of his saints in Heb 1:14.

If God shows such care for his little ones, what better way to love and serve God than to love and serve them?

And what does this love look like?

It is described throughout the NT as a deep and committed affection characterized by patience, kindness, gentleness, humility, self-sacrifice, lifting up, peace-keeping, faithfulness, and service.

Love makes their needs your needs, their cares your cares, their tears your tears, their joys your joys. It means to set your mind on their condition rather than your own. It means to lay aside your rights to help them. It means to consider yourself as less important than they, with Christ in John 13 using the humiliating service of foot washing as an example of the lengths we are to go to in such love. The irony in this is that such service to the meek and lowly puts you in an even lower position than they, and thus elevates you in the Kingdom of God. While the world can continue in their vain rat race, a scramble to the top of a garbage heap, let us compete for the lowest and least-recognized services to the least of these. Rom 12:10

Romans 12:10 ESV

Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.

In fact, this is the primary way we show that we belong to Christ. 1 John 2:10

1 John 2:10 NET

The one who loves his fellow Christian resides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him.

1 John 3:23 ESV

And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.

Many Christians struggle with assurance of their salvation, and they get so caught up in themselves and their own insecurities that they overlook that one thing that would prove they really do belong to Christ: love! A humble self-forgetfulness as you busy your mind with serving those whom Christ loves with affection. Did Jesus not say that whatsoever you do unto the least of these you did unto me? Some of you feel stuck in your Christian walk, you pray and pray that God would draw near to you and he doesn’t. You need to stop praying for that and instead start praying for your church, the suffering, the struggling, the meek and lowly. You will find that in such prayers done in affection for the body of Christ, Jesus himself will draw nearer and nearer to you in a very real way!

This love is tangible. It is not merely words, but sacrificial action. You need to get to know your fellow members to know how to love them. Their lives should be very important to you. Their struggles with sin should be met with patience, their suffering met with sympathy, their material needs met with generosity, and their burdens met with help. James 2:14-17

James 2:14–17 ESV

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

Conclusion

Take a moment to think about the way in which you live your Christian life. Who benefits from it? Who are you serving? Do the members of your church know that you love them?

If we are not mindful of this, we can easily create a stumbling block without noticing it. A life lived for your own satisfaction and fulfillment will have casualties, and some of those casualties will be your brothers and sisters. How great a danger exists for us if our hearts are not longing for the good of the little ones among us.

Make it your ambition, then, to strive for the humility and love of Christ. This is not a little tweak to make to our lives, but an entire attitude towards Christ and his church. How you act here, with the people sitting around you now, will ultimately show whether you are truly a disciple of Christ or not. Remember the sufferings of the cross taken for you and for them, adopt the mindset of Christ as a servant to the lowly and a helper to the weak. Make up your mind to never do anything that would bring a stumbling block before one of Christ’s precious ones. Above all, see Jesus in them. Ask yourself, if my Christian life were judged only on the way I treat the members of this church, if my love for Christ was determined only by my love for the people in these pews, would I be able to say truthfully that I love Jesus? If not, than let this text be a call for you to seek the Lord in repentance and to make up your mind to love the little ones in service, in sacrifice, in prayer, in faith that Christ will take such humble and affectionate love for them to be directed towards himself. Devote yourself to Christ-like love and as sure as the sun warms the earth you will hear the words on that final day, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”