Jesus has extremely strong words for people who harm the faith of the vulnerable.
“If any of you cause one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for you if a great millstone were fastened around your neck and you were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of things that cause sin! Such things are bound to come, but woe to the one through whom they come!” (Matthew 18:6-7).
Not only does Jesus have strong words for those who cause the “little ones” to stumble in their faith, but He also has the power to back them up. We should note that “little ones” is a term Jesus uses for His followers who are often powerless and spiritually vulnerable.
At the top of the list of offenders are clergy members who use their power to abuse children and women. The same could be said for Christian leaders who enrich themselves at the expense of desperate people, leading them to believe that a “seed” offering will bring them prosperity.
I believe the removal of protective status and the impending forced return of Haitian immigrants to their country may be another example of harm done to God’s “little ones.”
A friend of mine was a missionary with the Nazarene denomination. He returned to Haiti to assist the nation with rebuilding after the 7.0 magnitude earthquake in 2010. He worked with the government, the United Nations, and the church in the rebuilding effort. Despite his willing service to the nation, he was given a security detail and a personal firearm for protection. That is how dangerous Haiti was then, and it is far more dangerous now.
I shared this story with a Southern Baptist missionary, who told me that Southern Baptists have no missionaries in Haiti because of the serious security risks. However, our country is placing ankle monitors on Haitian immigrants as they await deportation back to this incredibly dangerous environment.
I don’t know many Haitians, but my daughter, who teaches English classes to immigrants, knows quite a few. She tells me that they are moral, generous, and often followers of Jesus. Should Southern Baptists be unwilling to send missionaries to Haiti, yet have supporters for an administration that has removed protective status and is willing to send over 300,000 human beings to live in harm’s way?
Jesus has a word of caution for people who willingly harm God’s “little ones.”
“If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life maimed or lame than to have two hands or two feet and to be thrown into the eternal fire.” (Matthew 18:8).
God’s Preferential Concern
I go to church with men who wear ankle monitors. They have committed crimes and prefer an ankle monitor to a prison cell. But when I see Haitian pastors wearing ankle monitors simply because they had the misfortune of being born in a corrupt and poverty-stricken country, it breaks my heart.
Granted, I could write with the same passion about pastors who use their power for personal advantage. I have a friend who will never attend a Catholic Church because of the abuse he experienced as a child. A few years ago, the publication Christianity Today stated that they could fill an entire magazine every month with stories of clergy sexually abusing church members.
Today, however, my emphasis is on the treatment of Haitian immigrants. It may be legal in America to remove their protective status, but Jesus has something to say to Christians about our role in the matter.
“Take care that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I tell you, in heaven their angels continually see the face of my Father in heaven.” (Matthew 18:10).
I recently saw a brief video of a well-dressed Haitian man, wearing an ankle monitor, standing in line for some kind of processing. Grief and fear overcame him, and he fainted on the spot, knowing the intense challenges in his future. There is no question in my mind that the angels in heaven know this “little one’s” name, hopes, dreams, and fears.
There is a proper way to treat the “little ones” in our midst. Jesus counsels His church to give the vulnerable among us the same care we would grant a valuable lost pet or animal. That is the least we can do.
“What do you think? If a shepherd has a hundred sheep and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost.” (Matthew 18:12-14).
If the angels of our Heavenly Father observe the vulnerable among us, we need to make sure our hearts are aligned with the Lord’s heart toward them.
First, let’s be God’s agents of love, not abuse. Second, let’s use whatever power we have to lift up the vulnerable and marginalized among us. Third, let’s make praying for the “little ones” a priority.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross and I discussed this passage on YouTube today.
Real Voices 