Q: In Matthew 18:7, Jesus says, Woe unto the world because of offenses! Isnt it rather harsh and unjust for Jesus to be condemning the entire world like this?
A: The question has been built on a flawed understanding of the word-formula which Jesus uses here. There are times when the phrase Woe unto forms the opening of a denouncement of some people for some action. Matthew 23s collection of Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees is like that. But Woe unto X is just a way of saying that bad times are ahead for X; the phrase does not inherently denote condemnation. In some cases, it describes the lot of unfortunate victims of the sins of others. For instance, in Matthew 24:19, Jesus says, Woe to those who are with child and to those who are nursing babies in those days; Jesus is not condemning the women Hes alluding to, as if they've done something wrong; He's saying that the scene which He foretells will be particularly difficult for them.
When the flexibility of the word-formula Woe unto is grasped, it should be evident that here in Matthew 18:7 Jesus words mean the equivalent of Hard times are ahead for the world and thus the objection evaporates. As John 3:17 says, God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but so that the world through Him might be saved.
Yours in Christ,
Waterrock
A: The question has been built on a flawed understanding of the word-formula which Jesus uses here. There are times when the phrase Woe unto forms the opening of a denouncement of some people for some action. Matthew 23s collection of Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees is like that. But Woe unto X is just a way of saying that bad times are ahead for X; the phrase does not inherently denote condemnation. In some cases, it describes the lot of unfortunate victims of the sins of others. For instance, in Matthew 24:19, Jesus says, Woe to those who are with child and to those who are nursing babies in those days; Jesus is not condemning the women Hes alluding to, as if they've done something wrong; He's saying that the scene which He foretells will be particularly difficult for them.
When the flexibility of the word-formula Woe unto is grasped, it should be evident that here in Matthew 18:7 Jesus words mean the equivalent of Hard times are ahead for the world and thus the objection evaporates. As John 3:17 says, God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but so that the world through Him might be saved.
Yours in Christ,
Waterrock
