Toby Sumpter pointed out parallels between Matthew 18 and 26, specifically on the issue of “stumbling blocks.” Jesus condemns those who put stumbling blocks in the way of little ones, and predicts that the disciples will stumble over Him on the night of His arrest and trial.
One of the striking parallels is in the “woes” that Jesus pronounces in each passage. Jesus pronounces a “woe” against the ones through whom stumbling blocks come (18:7) and also a woe against the man who betrays the Son of Man (26:24). The syntax is identical: “woe to that man . . . .” Judas is the a man through whom a stumbling block is set up, causing little ones – the rest of the disciples – to stumble. Judas bears the name of the royal tribe, and he is only an instrument for the leaders who set a stumbling block in the way of little ones. Judas deserves to be tied to a stone and cast to the sea, but so does all Judah.
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