Charles Spurgeon 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)

And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath nowhere to lay his head.

We hear no more of this man. Our Saviour's faithfulness probably dismissed him.

Was this scribe charmed by what he heard and saw of our Lord? We think so. In a sudden fit of enthusiasm, he calls Him, “Master.” He had probably hurried round the shore after Jesus and declares he will always follow Him, let the Master go wherever He may. His is an unreserved discipleship which knows no time or place, “I will follow you wherever you go.” His was an unasked-for following, for the Lord had not said to him, “Follow Me.” It was the best fruit of nature, but not the result of grace.

Our King soon tests this loudly-expressed loyalty by telling the new convert that He was so poor a Master that beasts of the fields and “birds of the air” were better off for lodgings than Himself. If the Leader fared so badly, there was a poor outlook for the follower. How great was the humiliation of our Lord and King! He had no palace and no silken canopy. He who was our Head had nowhere to lay His own head.

Did this scribe have his name inscribed among the poor scholars of a homeless teacher? We do not know. How does it stand in our case? Can we follow a penniless cause? Can we proclaim a despised doctrine?