Matthew 18:6 (WEB)

Passage

but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for him that a huge millstone should be hung around his neck, and that he should be sunk in the depths of the sea.

Nearby Context

Matthew 18:4 Whoever therefore humbles himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Matthew 18:5 Whoever receives one such little child in my name receives me,

Matthew 18:6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for him that a huge millstone should be hung around his neck, and that he should be sunk in the depths of the sea.

Matthew 18:7 “Woe to the world because of occasions of stumbling! For it must be that the occasions come, but woe to that person through whom the occasion comes!

Matthew 18:8 If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off, and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life maimed or crippled, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into the eternal fire.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "whoever", "causes", "little", "ones", "believe", "stumble", "better", and "huge". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "whoever" and "causes", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 5's "Whoever receives one such little child in..." into verse 7's "Woe to the world because of occasions...", so "whoever" and "causes" 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 "whoever" and "causes" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.