What is With Stumbling Over the Stumbling Stone?

A few of my most memorable vacations have been trips to Alaska. My best friend is a missionary there, and when I was 19, I went to visit her. Among our not-your-average activities was moose hunting. Another time we stood at a table at a gold mine and panned for gold.

This was during the summer. You couldn’t really do either of those activities in the winter. It’s dark all the time in winter in Alaska. You would stand a better chance of stumbling and falling than of finding a moose or gold.

There’s a related interesting point to be made about those who stumble at Christ in 1 Peter 2, Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,  And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient…(1 Peter 2:7-8)

Here you have folks stumbling over Christ. Why do they stumble? If Christ is standing in the middle of the path, why do they stumble over him? By the way, notice that the first part of the passage, they are stumbling over Christ, and the second half, they are stumbling at his word. There is such a huge correlation between Christ and the word throughout the Bible, which is tied together in John 1:1,14. But back to the reason for stumbling.

Darkness may be the most obvious reason for stumbling over things. You can’t see in the dark. And that’s where the next verse in 1 Pet 2 takes us. But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: (1 Peter 2:9)

Jesus even talked about that. Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world.  But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him. (John 11:9-10)

It seems like the best way to keep folks from stumbling over Christ is to give them some light. While that’s obvious, people, it turns out, don’t like spiritual light. They prefer darkness.

And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. (John 3:19) That seems a bit odd. Who likes darkness more than light? I guess seasonal affective disorder doesn’t exist in the spiritual realm. The truth is, spiritual darkness is something we have to be delivered from. We won’t go looking for light on our own. Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: (Col. 1:13)

Now as Christians, we are to walk in the light and not the darkness. But as for the world around us, they will keep stumbling over Christ because they can’t see Him. They are in the darkness. They follow their father. In his testimony, Paul said that Jesus sent him To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith … (Acts 26:18)

Jesus is the one who opens eyes. We have to shine the light of Jesus and pray that God will illumine their minds and hearts, because after all, it’s God who translates us to the light.