Things that cause sin will inevitably occur, but woe to the one through whom they occur. It would be better for him if a millstone were put around his neck and he be thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.

A millstone is a big heavy rock that was used to crush an grind wheat into flower. Big ones could be as tall as person, weighing thousands of pounds, but even in its smallest form, they could be as large as coffee table and weigh hundreds of pounds. Either way, once tied to your neck and thrown into the see, there is only one outcome for you, you will be pulled to the bottom of the sea. Sounds like a terrible way to die… But whatever the size of the stone, this is a pretty dire warning.

We all have children in our lives, and we all are called to watch over and protect them. All children are deeply loved by the Lord. If any of us were to do something that caused them to sin, or even taught them to sin, God will not take that lightly. I think the implication here is clear, he is talking about the torment of hell, and a punishment far worse than death. So we need to be very careful of how we lead and teach those under our authority.

Please understand that this does not mean that, even despite our best efforts that those children can still fall away anyway and choose sin for themselves, but it must not be due to our direct action, or our negligence. This is a high bar, but Jesus loves the little children, and their pain cries out to the Lord for justice, and He will respond.

Oh lord, please help me today to be a good role model for my children and a righteous leader for their upbringing. Amen.