Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks. For it is necessary that stumbling blocks come, yet woe to the person through whom the stumbling block will come.
In this saying Jesus simultaneously reveals the broken reality of the world and a person’s personal responsibility: the existence of temptations is presented as an unavoidable consequence of a fallen world, yet it never justifies the one who becomes an instrument of temptation. The phrase “It is necessary that temptations come” does not mean that God wills evil, but shows that the misuse of human free will inevitably brings temptations. At the same time, the words “woe to that person” emphasize that each one is responsible for his influence on the faith and life of others. This verse teaches that the world may be full of trials, but before God the conduct that, knowingly or through indifference, turns another away from truth and salvation is severely condemnable.