Jesus said to His disciples, “It is inevitable that stumbling blocks will come, but woe to the one through whom they come!
Parallel translations
- WEB He said to the disciples, “It is impossible that no occasions of stumbling should come, but woe to him through whom they come!
- KJV Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come!
- NKJV Then He said to the disciples, “It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come!
- NASB Now He said to His disciples, “It is inevitable that stumbling blocks come, but woe to one through whom they come!
- NLT One day Jesus said to his disciples, “There will always be temptations to sin, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting!
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jesus warns that temptations to sin are inevitable, but woe to the one who causes them. Leading others into sin is gravely serious.
Overview
Turning to His disciples, Jesus acknowledges that stumbling blocks will come in a fallen world, yet holds accountable those who cause them. The warning guards the community of faith against those who lead others astray. It reflects God's tender concern for the vulnerable among His people.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Matt 18:7Woe to the world for the causes of sin. These stumbling blocks must come, but woe to the man through whom they come!
- Rom 14:13Therefore let us stop judging one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way.
- 1 Cor 11:19And indeed, there must be differences among you to show which of you are approved.
- Rom 16:17Now I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who create divisions and obstacles that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Turn away from them.
- 1 Cor 8:13Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to stumble.
- Matt 16:23But Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me. For you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”
- Rom 14:20–21Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to let his eating be a stumbling block.
- 1 Cor 10:32Do not become a stumbling block, whether to Jews or Greeks or the church of God—
- 2 Th 2:10–12and with every wicked deception directed against those who are perishing, because they refused the love of the truth that would have saved them.
- Rev 13:14–18Because of the signs it was given to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived those who dwell on the earth, telling them to make an image to the beast that had been wounded by the sword and yet had lived.
- Rev 2:20But I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads My servants to be sexually immoral and to eat food sacrificed to idols.
- Rev 2:14But I have a few things against you, because some of you hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to place a stumbling block before the Israelites so they would eat food sacrificed to idols and commit sexual immorality.
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Christ at the center
Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.
How Luke 17:1 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.