And whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a great millstone were tied around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.
If in the previous saying even a small service had great value, here harming a little believer becomes a cause for severe judgment. “Little ones” can be either literally small children or people who are humble and weak in faith. To cause them to stumble means to become for them, by word, example, or violence, a cause of sin, ruin, or turning away from faith. The Lord shows the weight of that sin with a terrifying image. The millstone and the depth of the sea are symbols of a judgment that would be more bearable than the account that a person who harms another’s soul will have to give. This saying warns especially those who have influence over others.