Scripture: Luke 17:1-2
Jesus said to his disciples, “Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to anyone by whom they come! It would be better for you if a millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea than for you to cause one of these little ones to stumble.”
Thought for the Day: Notice how Jesus describes the stumbling itself. He does not make any sort of grand theological declaration that suggests God causes everything to happen, and thus God causes us to stumble. And Jesus does not put it on some evil entity. It is “bound” to happen when you live in world filled with human beings, and those human beings make mistakes and stumble themselves. Jesus goes on to make what I can only describe as a distinction between our mistakes that might cause someone to stumble and those times when we intentionally do something that brings another down. He focuses more on the “little ones” that we might cause to stumble, though I am uncertain if he was speaking exclusively about children or was he speaking about anyone who was weak, underrepresented or easily overlooked. Those who do not have much of a voice in any society are often pushed aside or pushed down without any repercussions on those who are doing the pushing. Jesus is harsh in his judgement on such people, but I think he uses the millstone example to grab the attention of the listeners and reinforce the seriousness of his teaching. The listener walks away, not only trying to avoid being the cause of another person’s stumbling, but feeling a real responsibility for those whose life experience has too often been on the receiving end of someone’s intentional shove.
Prayer: Keep me on my feet, O Giver of Grace, so that I can shield those who might otherwise find themselves knocked down. Keep me on my feet for the purpose of helping those who have experienced knock down after knock down. Keep me on my feet if at all possible, but in those times when I have stumbled, may there be someone for me. Amen.
PALM SUNDAY
Tomorrow — 9am & 11am
