Matthew 18:7 (LSB)

Passage

“Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; nevertheless, woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes!

Nearby Context

Matthew 18:5 And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me;

Matthew 18:6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it is better for him that a heavy millstone be hung around his neck, and that he be drowned in the depth of the sea.

Matthew 18:7 “Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; nevertheless, woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes!

Matthew 18:8 “And if your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life crippled or lame, than, having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the eternal fire.

Matthew 18:9 And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out and throw it from you. It is better for you to enter life with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into the fiery hell.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "world", "stumbling", "blocks", "inevitable", "come", and "nevertheless". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "world" and "stumbling", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 6's "but whoever causes one of these little..." into verse 8's "And if your hand or your foot...", so "world" and "stumbling" belong inside that flow. In Matthew context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "world" and "stumbling" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.