²He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. ³And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children,^s you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.^t ⁴Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.^u ⁵And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.^v

Causing to Stumble

⁶“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.^w ⁷Woe 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!^x ⁸If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble,^y 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. ⁹And if your eye causes you to stumble,^z 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.^a

The Parable of the Wandering Sheep

18:12–14pp—Lk 15:4–7

¹⁰“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels^b in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.

Read in Logos

Cross references

s Mt 19:14; 1 Pe 2:2
tSee Mt 3:2
uSee Mk 9:35
v Mt 10:40
w Mk 9:42; Lk 17:2
x Lk 17:1
ySee Mt 5:29
zSee Mt 5:29
aSee Mt 5:22
b Ge 48:16; Ps 34:7; Ac 12:11, 15; Heb 1:14