Then said he to the disciples, It is impossible but that offenses will come: but woe to him, through whom they come!
It is.
Matthew 16:23 But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.
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!
Romans 14:13,20,21 Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way…
It is inevitable that stumbling blocks will come
The term "stumbling blocks" refers to temptations or obstacles that could lead believers into sin or cause them to fall away from their faith. The inevitability of these stumbling blocks highlights the reality of living in a fallen world where sin and temptation are present. This echoes the broader biblical narrative of human fallibility and the constant spiritual warfare believers face, as seen in passages like 1 Peter 5:8, which warns of the devil's prowling.
but woe to the one through whom they come!
The word "woe" is a strong expression of judgment or condemnation. It indicates the serious consequences for those who cause others to stumble in their faith. This warning reflects the biblical principle of accountability, as seen in James 3:1, where teachers are held to a higher standard. It also connects to the broader theme of divine justice, where God holds individuals responsible for their actions, especially when they lead others into sin. This phrase serves as a sobering reminder of the responsibility believers have to live righteously and not be a source of temptation or sin for others.
• The opening words place the conversation in the intimate circle of followers, not the crowds (Luke 6:20).
• Jesus often reserves deeper warnings and responsibilities for disciples (John 13:34–35).
• By addressing believers first, He reminds us that our conduct directly shapes the faith walk of others (Philippians 2:15).
• Because the world is fallen, occasions for sin and doubt are certain (John 16:33; 1 Peter 5:8).
• These “stumbling blocks” include teachings, behaviors, or influences that trip people spiritually (Romans 14:13).
• The statement is neither defeatist nor permissive; it is a realistic acknowledgment that the battle for holiness is ongoing (Ephesians 6:12).
• While temptation exists, God holds accountable those who initiate or encourage it (Matthew 18:6-7).
• “Woe” signals serious judgment; divine displeasure rests on anyone who causes another to sin (James 3:1; 2 Peter 2:1).
• The gravity is underlined in the very next verse: “It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea” (Luke 17:2).
• Practical takeaways:
– Guard personal conduct so it never lures another toward sin.
– Teach truth clearly, avoiding half-truths that erode faith (Titus 1:11).
– Intercede and act quickly when you see someone drifting, becoming a stepping-stone, not a stumbling block (Galatians 6:1-2).
Jesus warns His disciples that life will always present occasions to fall, yet He sets a sobering standard: we must never be the cause of another’s downfall. Temptation is unavoidable, accountability is personal, and the stakes are eternal.
XVII.(1) It is impossible but that offences will come.--In this instance, the absence of any apparent connection might, perhaps, justify us in looking on the two precepts as having been noted by St. Luke for their own intrinsic value, without regard to the context in which they had been spoken. (See Notes on Matthew 18:7.) Even here, however, we must remember that there may have been what we have called "dropped links." It is not hard to see that the self-indulgent life, after the pattern of that of the rich man in the preceding parable, was an "offence" which, in one sense, must needs come, in the history of the Christian Church, as it had come in the Jewish, and yet would bring a woe on the man through whom it came.
Verses 1-37. - The Master's teaching on the subject of the injury worked on the souls of others by our sins. The disciples pray for an increase of faith that they may be kept from such sins. The Lord's reply. His little parable on humility. The healing of the ten lepers. The ingratitude of all save one. The question of the Pharisees as to the coming of the kingdom. The Lord's answer, and his teaching respecting the awful suddenness of the advent of the Son of man. Verses 1, 2. - Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come: It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones. The thread of connection here is not very obvious, and many expositors are content with regarding this seventeenth chapter as simply containing certain lessons of teaching placed here by St. Luke without regard to anything which preceded or succeeded them in the narrative, these expositors regarding the contents of this chapter as well authenticated sayings of the Master, which were repeated to Luke or Paul without any precise note of time or place, and which appeared to them too important for them to omit in these memoirs of the Divine life. Notwithstanding this deliberate opinion, endorsed by Godet and others, there does seem a clear connection here with the narrative immediately preceding. The Divine Master, while mourning over the sorrowful certainty of offences being committed in the present confused and disordered state of things, yet pronounces a bitter woe on the soul of the man through whose agency the offences were wrought. The "little cues" whom these offences would injure are clearly in this instance not children, although, of course, the words would include the very young, for whom Jesus ever showed the tenderest love; but the reference is clearly to disciples whose faith was only as yet weak and wavering - to men and women who would be easily influenced either for good or evil. The offences, then, especially alluded to were no doubt the worldliness and selfishness of professors of godliness. The sight of these, professedly serving God and all the while serving mammon more earnestly, would bring the very name of God's service into evil odour with some; while with others such conduct would serve as an example to be imitated. The selfish rich man of the great parable just spoken, professedly a religious man, one who evidently prided himself on his descent from Abraham the friend of God, and yet lived as a heartless, selfish sinner, who was eventually condemned for inhumanity, was probably in the Lord's mind when he spoke thus. What fatal injury to the cause of true religion would be caused by one such life as that! It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he east into the sea. This was a punishment not unknown among the ancients. The ancient Latin Version, and Marcion in his recension of St. Luke, read here, "It were better for him that he had never been born, or that a millstone." etc. The awful sequel to a life which apparently had given the offence to which the Lord referred, endorses this terrible alternative. Yes; better indeed for him had that evil life been cut short even by such a death of horror as the Master pictures here, when he speaks of the living being cast into the sea bound to a millstone.