Albert Barnes Commentary Matthew 8:19-20

"And there came a scribe, and said unto him, Teacher, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the heaven [have] nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head." — Matthew 8:19-20 (ASV)

A certain scribe came, etc. It is likely that this man, who had seen the miracles of Jesus, had formed an expectation that by following him he would obtain some considerable worldly advantage. Christ, in reply, proclaimed his own poverty, and dashed the hope of the avaricious scribe. The very foxes and birds, he says, have places of repose and shelter, but the Son of man has no home, and no pillow. He is a stranger in his own world; a wanderer and an outcast from the abodes of men .

Son of man. This evidently means Jesus himself. No title is more frequently given to the Saviour than this; and yet there is much difficulty in explaining it. The word son is used in a great variety of meanings (See Barnes on Matthew 1:1).

The name Son of man is given to Jesus only three times in the New Testament (Acts 7:56; Revelation 1:13; Revelation 14:14). The phrase Son of God, given to Christ, denotes a peculiar connection with God, John 10:36. The name Son of man probably denotes a corresponding peculiar connection with man; his peculiar love and friendship for him, and his willingness to devote himself to the best interests of the race. It is sometimes, however, used as synonymous with Messiah, Matthew 16:28; John 1:34; Acts 7:37; John 12:34.