John Calvin Commentary Matthew 18:7

"Woe unto the world because of occasions of stumbling! for it must needs be that the occasions come; but woe to that man through whom the occasion cometh!" — Matthew 18:7 (ASV)

Woe to the world on account of offenses! This passage may be explained in two ways.

It may be taken actively, as meaning that Christ pronounces a curse on the authors of offenses; and then by the term world, we must understand all unbelievers. Or it may be taken passively, as meaning that Christ deplores the evils which he perceives to be rapidly coming on the world on account of offenses; as if he had said, that no plague will be more destructive, or attended by more fearful calamities, than the alarm or desertion of many on account of offenses.

The latter meaning is more appropriate. I have no doubt that our Lord, who had spoken on another occasion about offenses, proceeded to speak more extensively on this subject to make his disciples more attentive and watchful in guarding against them.

So that Satan may not gain advantage over us through our sluggishness, our Lord exclaims that there is nothing we ought to dread more than offenses. For as Satan has innumerable kinds of them in his hand, he constantly, and at almost every step, throws new difficulties in our way, while we, through excessive tenderness or sloth, are too ready to yield.

The consequence is that there are few who make tolerable progress in the faith of Christ. Of the few who have begun to walk in the way of salvation, there is scarcely one in ten who has the courage to persevere until he reaches the goal.⁵⁰⁵ Now since Christ intended to strike his disciples with terror on account of offenses, and thus to arouse them to exertion, woe to our indifference if each of us does not earnestly apply oneself to overcome those offenses.

For offenses must come. To awaken their care and anxiety more powerfully, our Lord reminds his disciples that it is impossible to walk except in the midst of various offenses; as if to say, this is an evil that cannot be avoided.

Thus he confirms the former statement, for Christ shows us how great are the inconveniences that arise from offenses, since the Church never will be, and indeed never can be, free from this evil.

But he does not state the reason for this necessity, as Paul does when, speaking of heresies, he says that they arise that the good may be made manifest, (1 Corinthians 11:19). It must be held by us as a fixed principle that it is the will of God to leave his people exposed to offense, in order to exercise their faith and to separate believers, as the refuse and the chaff, from the pure wheat.

Does anyone object or complain that blame attaches to our Lord for giving loose reins to Satan to accomplish the destruction of wretched men? It is our duty to think and speak with the deepest reverence of the secret purposes of God, of which this is one, that the world must be disturbed by offenses.

But woe to the man by whom the offense cometh. After having exhorted his disciples to beware of offenses, he again breaks out against those who cause them.

To give greater vehemence to the threatening, he adds that neither a right eye nor a right hand ought to be spared if they cause offense to us; for I explain these words as added for the purpose of amplification. Their meaning is that we ought to be so constant and so zealous in opposing offenses that we would rather choose to pluck out our eyes, or cut off our hands, than give encouragement to offenses.

For if any man hesitates to incur the loss of his limbs, he spares them at the risk of throwing himself into eternal perdition. What dreadful vengeance then awaits those who by offenses will bring ruin on their brethren!⁵⁰⁶

As those two verses have been already explained⁵⁰⁷ under Matthew 5:29-30, it was sufficient, on the present occasion, to glance at the reason why Christ repeats the same statement here.

⁵⁰⁵ “Qui persevere courageusement iusqu’a la fin;” — “who perseveres courageously to the end.”;” — “who perseveres courageously to the end.”

⁵⁰⁶ “Lesquels par scandales auront donne occasion de faire perdre et damner leurs freres;” — “who by offenses shall have given occasion to bring ruin and damnation on their brethren.”;” — “who by offenses shall have given occasion to bring ruin and damnation on their brethren.”

⁵⁰⁷ Harmony, vol. 1 p. 291..