“Don’t Be A Stumbling Block”

But he turned and said to Peter,

"Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things." (Matthew 16:23)

What Jesus said must have shocked Peter. He said, “Get behind Me, Satan!” --- But why does Jesus say, “Get behind Me, Satan!” Or, why do you think Jesus called Peter Satan? Jesus called Peter "Satan" because Peter was trying to hinder what Jesus came to do. Because of this, Jesus refers to Peter as Satan, the stumbling block (Matthew 16:23).  

Life is full of stumbling blocks, and they come in varying forms! But, just exactly what is a "stumbling block?" --- A "stumbling block is a cause of stumbling, and the cause could be something or someone that trips us up and gets us off the path. It is not a sin in itself, but something that leads us to sin. Biblically, its anything that lead a Christian brother or sister astray, into sin, or cause that person to fall away from the truth. Although we don’t want to be the stumbling block, and we don’t want them in our life, it’s a given that at sometime in our life, we will come upon many stumbling blocks. However, it's bad enough to stumble over a stumbling block, but it's a worse thing to be the stumbling block over which others stumble. 

However, Jesus warns us that stumbling blocks occur all the time. Woe to the world for stumbling blocks! For it is necessary that stumbling blocks come, but woe to the one by whom the stumbling block comes (Matthew 18:7). Truth is, everyone of us can and will cause others to stumble. We might know that we cause someone to stumble, and we might not. But as Christians, we ought not to be a stumbling block to our brother or sister in Christ, to ourselves in our walk of faith with God, and to the world, those around us who are looking on, seeing our conduct and manner of life - we could be a stumbling block to them trusting Christ. In Matthew 18:8-9 Jesus tells us what to do in order to not become a stumbling block,

"If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life crippled or lame, than to have two hands or two feet and be cast into the eternal fire. If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it from you. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be cast into the eternal fire." Matthew 18:8-9.

CONCLUSION 

Stumbling blocks are inevitable, however, we can and we must avoid being the cause of stumbling to our brother, our self, and to the world. Our attitudes, words, and/or our actions ought not to be stumbling blocks to our brother, our self, or to the world. John also encourages us in 1 John 2:10  by saying, "anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble." We as Christians are personally responsible for our Christian influence. We are either a STEPPING STONE that are leading others to Christ or a STUMBLING BLOCK that are leading people away from Christ. Matthew 18:6-9 mentions that we should in no way be a STUMBLING BLOCK to anyone. Let us be STEPPING STONES! By trusting in God, by following Jesus, we can be stepping stones rather than stumbling blocks. Ask yourself, would Jesus say to you as He said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan?" Let us not be used by Satan by doing nothing, by living for ourself, or by being a stumbling blocks to others.

"These things I have spoken to you, that you may be kept from stumbling (John 16:1).