1 Corinthians 8:12Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

But why do those who cause scandal sin against Christ? First, because He takes to Himself what concerns His servants. Second, because those who are beaten constitute His Body and His members. Third, because they who beat, through their pride, destroy the work He accomplished by His death.

The Greek τυπτοντες, from τυπτω, means "to beat" or "to wound."

Therefore, beloved, let us do all things so that our Lord may be glorified, and let us give no one occasion for scandal. The universal teacher, blessed Paul, constantly teaches us this. In one place he says, "If food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat." In another he says, "By thus sinning against the brethren and wounding their weak conscience, you sin against Christ."

This is a mighty threat, subjecting one to grievous condemnation. Do not think, he says, that the harm concerns only the one who is scandalized by you. No, it passes over to Christ Himself, who was crucified for that man. If your Lord did not refuse to be crucified for him, will you not resolve to do everything so as to give him no occasion for scandal?

Everywhere, as you will find, he impresses this on his disciples, because the good order of our life depends on it. Therefore he says in another epistle, "Let each look not only to his own things, but each also to the things of others" (Phil 2:4). And again elsewhere: "All things are lawful for me, but not all things edify" (1 Cor 10:23).

Do you see the apostolic wisdom? Even if I were able to do something, he says, and it did me no harm at all, I still will not allow myself to do it, since it does not contribute to the edification of my neighbor. Behold a loving soul. See how it cares not only for itself, but in everything shows the greatest virtue, which consists in caring for the edification of one's neighbor.

Knowing all this, I ask you, let us be careful and abstain from whatever can harm the wealth of your virtue. Nor let us ever do anything that in any way harms our neighbor. This both increases sin and prepares a heavier punishment for us.

Let us not despise even the least significant person, and let us not utter harsh words such as, "What is it to me if he is scandalized?" What are you saying? Tell me, what is it to you? Christ commanded you to lead such a pure life that those who see you would not only admire you, but glorify your Lord. Yet you do the opposite. Instead of glorification, you cause blasphemies to be spoken against Him, and you are not at all troubled.

Is this the mark of a pious soul, one that truly knows the laws of God?

Therefore whatever you do to one of His brethren is referred to Him, as He determined and taught when He said, "As you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me" (Mt 25:40).

And why was the conscience of the brethren weak? Because, being newly enlightened at that time, they did not yet have the firm conscience needed to abandon and despise the ancestral service of idols.

Notice how many reasons he presents to persuade them to avoid eating idol-offerings. First, he said that the food of idol-offerings is superfluous and useless. Second, that it causes stumbling and scandal. Third, that it becomes the cause of the destruction of the weak brother. Fourth, that it is a scourge to the conscience of the weak brother. Fifth, that such a sin rises to the level of sin against Christ. Then he draws the following conclusion.

This thoughtless act produces an especially ruinous effect on the weak and those not established in faith. Such people could see Christians eating idol-offerings as a direct betrayal of Christianity. Following others, they could truly betray Christianity themselves. These unhappy ones perished by following people who ate idol-offerings without the least thought of betraying the Christian faith. Yet these became the chief cause of the destruction of the weak.

Warning such people against eating things offered to idols, the Apostle says: "Take heed, lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to the weak"; "wounding their conscience"; "you sin against Christ."

According to the explanation of St. John Chrysostom, "The Apostle says, 'Take heed,' arousing in the Corinthians fear, shame, and resolve not to do this. He did not say, 'this knowledge of yours,' or 'your perfection,' which would have sounded more like praise, but 'liberty.' By this he expressed rather their shamelessness, boldness, and pride. He did not say, 'to the brethren,' but 'to the weak,' who are of the brethren. He increases their guilt because they do not spare even the weak, and indeed their brethren."

"Your Master did not refuse to die for him, yet you pay him no attention. You are unwilling, for his sake, to abstain even from an unclean table. You allow him to perish after his salvation has been accomplished, and what is most grievous, for the sake of food."

They sin in this against Christ: first, because He takes to Himself what concerns His servants; second, because those who are wounded are His Body and His members; third, because those who wound the conscience of the weak, through their pride, destroy the work He accomplished by His death.

"Do you see how gradually and little by little he has shown that their guilt is a most grievous crime? They sin against Christ: first, because He takes to Himself what concerns His servants; second, because those who are beaten constitute His Body and His members; third, because those who beat the conscience of the weak, through their pride, destroy the work He accomplished by His death" (St. Chrysostom).