Stumbling . . .

From age 3 to 15, I lived among blind people. My mother was the principal of a residential blind school that housed 150+ blind people about my age. I learned braille and lived among them as they were my brothers and sisters. But . . . I enjoyed playing tricks on them (and they played tricks on me, too), such as filling their cups half full and pretending like it was too full and that they had to be careful not to spill. My mother knew we played tricks on each other and tolerated them. But she had a strict rule: I could never put anything on their pathway to stumble and make them fall. She based it on Leviticus 19:14, “Say nothing evil to the deaf or place any obstructions before the blind to stumble them. Instead, fear your LORD God.” As such, I made sure my blind friends always had clear paths; when I saw an obstruction like a chair or bench, I moved them.

As a Hebrew, well-versed in the Law of Moses, including Leviticus 19:14, Jesus said to his disciples,

“Stumbling will come, but woe to those through whom the stumbling comes. It would have been better for that person to tie a millstone around their neck and toss themselves into the sea than to cause one of these little ones to stumble.” (Luke 17:1–2)

Just like his Father, who instructed through Moses that none of the Hebrews should place any stumbling objects before the blind or say anything mean that the deaf cannot hear, Jesus too wanted his disciples to be kind to the deaf, blind, and “little ones.” Most likely, the “little ones” was a reference to children.

The Hebrews believed that children were responsible for the law of Moses and the covenants only after puberty. At that time, their fathers arranged bar [son] or bath [daughter] mitzvah [of covenant] feasts for them. From that day onwards, they kept the covenants and laws. But the Lord Jesus considered even the little children (micron children) responsible for loving God with their hearts. And, if someone caused such little ones to stumble, that person was in grave danger.

The Lord’s instruction to tie a millstone around one’s neck and toss oneself into the sea sounds horrible and seems to advocate suicide. But we must understand them as hyperbole, exaggerated speech. It’s like parents telling their kids, “I have told you not to do that a million times.” The principle would be that they should go out of their way to avoid causing someone to stumble.

As a teacher, I always fear these verses. Many of my students are young by age or faith. I want to ensure their faith in God is firm when they finish my classes. We must go the extra mile to ensure that the little ones in our care do not stumble away from God, just as we must ensure that no physically blind people stumble on any obstacle. Caring for others is the second most important commandment after loving God.