A Millstone Around One's Neck
By David J. Stewart
Matthew 18:6, "But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea."
A millstone
Woe unto the person who hurts one of God's born-again Children. The word “offend” in the Greek here is the word skandalizo, which means, “to trip up, to entrap, cause to stumble, to entice to sin.” Anyone who does anything to hurt a Christian; God will avenge them. Matthew 25:40, “And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”
Matthew 18:6 refers to “one of those little ones which believe in me.” The Bible is speaking about Christians, i.e., those who believe on Jesus.
Anything that a person does to cause harm, worry, injury or apostasy to another, especially toward a child of God; the Bible says it would be better for you to be shackled to a 500lb stone and cast 15,000 ft. to the bottom of the ocean floor in torment and death. Matthew 18:7, “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!”
It is interesting and tragic that many people quote the following Scriptures out of context...Matthew 18:8-10, “Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire. Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.”
Jesus spoke those Scriptures in reference to those who offend His little ones. Jesus said it would be better for a person to have a millstone chained around their neck, and then be cast to the bottom of the sea; than to offend a child of God. Then Jesus continues and says it would be better for you to cut off your own hand, or gouge out your own eye; than to hurt a child of God in any way. God loves His children Who love Jesus Christ.
John 14:21 and John 16:27, “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. ... For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.”
The Bible evidences what I say in Matthew 18:10, where Jesus teaches that every believer has a guardian angel that watches over them. God monitors the believer 24/7 (Proverb 21:2). God always knows what is going on in your life at any time. God hears every prayer. We cannot comprehend the greatness of God, how He can listen to millions of prayers at the same time.