Matthew 18:6-14 “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come! If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell. “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.
Jesus gives a dire warning to anyone who abuses little ones, causing them to lose their natural inclination to love God. This kind of improper behavior is an anathema to a loving God who keeps close tabs on his little ones. I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. Sin against a helpless, innocent young person can take many forms of exploitation: sexual, physical, emotional, psychological, neglect, and the like. These are heinous crimes, usually outside of societal mores, but sadly sometimes a part of acceptable standards within a community or the world’s view of little ones. Common examples of such behaviors include harsh parental or educational disciplines or negative ways children are allowed to treat one another such as bullying or mistreatment of weaker children without any sanctions from the adults who should supervise their activities. How often people overlook wrongful deeds with, “Children are resilient, they forget the little things from childhood,” or “Parents have a right to raise their children as they see fit,” or “Kids will be kids.” Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! These kind of sins of exploitation can cause permanent damage to people throughout their lives, causing them to stumble when thinking of God as a loving father, for they have dealt with adults who are the opposite of loving, caring, and protective. They have experienced the abuse of adults, the uncaring nature of those who should love them, care for them, and protect them from harm. Sexual sins against little ones are particularly evil for the young are being used to gratify the lust of the adult. To exploit people, especially children, is the devil’s intention for all of God’s creation. He desires to damage God’s image in them, to destroy people by alienating them from a loving Father God. Experiencing sexual sins when very young can cause permanent damage to a person in his or her relationship with a loving God and in relationships with others. Unfortunately, abusers go on to abuse. If allowed to go on unchecked, the bully on the playground goes on to bigger crimes and more evil. God does not take lightly the eternal damage done to little ones because of experiencing horrendous abuse. Woe to a sinful world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things are part of the experiences of many people, for the world is under the auspices of flesh and the evil one, but God has an accounting of it. So Jesus says, it is better for you to go into eternity without an eye, a hand, or a foot than allow yourself to harm a little one. For God’s account is complete and accurate. Hellfire is ready for all those who have done such deeds without repenting to God, seeking his forgiveness and the forgiveness of the one abused. God is generous in his grace, but sin must be covered with the blood of Christ, and that only happens through repentance and faith in the complete works of Jesus Christ. For this to happen, we must recognize sin for what it is. Paul tells us we are all the same, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)
While sexual improprieties with young people are extremely serious, there are other intemperate, improper behaviors of adults towards children that can produce the same kind of alienation in little ones and a lack of trust in God. Physical abuse originating from angry out-of-control adults can cause a young person not to trust adults. Parents especially can violate the nature of God when they allow their emotions to harm their children physically and mentally. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:4-5) Intemperate, uncontrolled behavior can permanently damage a person’s view of a loving Father. To them, authority means control through forced obedience, resulting in little grace or mercy in view of a heavenly Father. Some people say they do not like to celebrate Mother’s Day and Father’s Day because it brings back sad memories from their childhood, and they find it hard to buy a card for their parents that they can give with sincere feeling. Force does not produce a loving and obedient child as the Old Testament reveals so clearly. The “we shall do it” as the children of Israel said so often to God under the threat of discipline never changed the Israelites’ hearts. They rebelled so completely that God finally drove them out of the land of Canaan, for they had become worse than the heathen people around them. Sometimes we see this today in children of Christian families. They recede so completely into the nature of the world and into its sins that they are worse than the children who knew no God in their homes. But what does Paul talk about when dealing with the Thessalonians. He views himself as a father of a family. For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory. (1 Thessalonians 2:11-12) Paul who yielded his own comforts in the world, who sold himself as a sacrifice to God, and was poured out like a drink offering for others, tells adults to treat their children as a good father, displaying the fruit of the Spirit in their interactions with their children. Encourage children rather than castigate, comfort rather than blame, urge toward good behavior rather than isolating them for mistakes, all of this to allow children to follow a loving and caring Father God. As a parent you want children who choose to do right when no one is watching, not just when they fear punishment. The law has never been able to change the human heart, but the Holy Spirit can lead us to a loving heavenly Father.
Abuse of all sorts will hinder little ones in their relationships with God. Jesus warns of the consequences of impacting young people’s lives to the point they abandon a loving God, like a sheep who has wandered away from the fold. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish. A young person might wander away from the household of Christians because of unloving treatment by adults, even by those they trusted. Their lives were shattered by such aberrant activity, but God is faithful and just to not only repay for the injustices they experienced, but also in reclaiming his own. If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? The Father God knows who has wandered away. He knows the broken hearts they possess. He knows they are now feeding off the straw and hay of the evil one, and they are not satisfied. He does not just know, He seeks after them with the love only the Father could display for their broken lives. He does not come to them with a heart of anger for their waywardness. Adults, authorities and the world have mistreated them, used them and then abandoned them. They are alone, broken in spirit, in a barren landscape, with a hopelessness of not knowing God. But the Father God knows all of this for the angels have revealed to him every step the little ones have taken in this world. He knows they are far from the fold. He seeks them out and his heart is glad when He finds them. The wayward sheep are brought back to the fold, the household of God. One time a church friend asked our son, Jeff, about our family. He wanted to know if Jeff thought one of our children could fall away from the faith and turn from God. Jeff answered with words to the effect that he thought that could happen because he knew that the Bible says to beware if you think you stand because you might fall. But then he said what was important. “One of my family could fall away, but I know how we would love them back if they did.” He was so right. Dear friends, abuse, pain, hurt, and rejection have tried to destroy people, but God is an amazing healer, a reconciler, a loving Father. Jesus said, Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28) He goes on to say that his yoke is easy and his burden is light. So today, lay down your heavy burden of pain and sorrow from any past hurts and accept the rest of the Lord. He is our Rest—our hiding place. Come today and do not wait. He is calling you. Come to me, He says. Let him take over and you will find all you need!
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