Church Fathers Commentary Matthew 8:18-22

"Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he gave commandments to depart unto the other side. 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. And another of the disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. But Jesus saith unto him, Follow me; and leave the dead to bury their own dead." — Matthew 8:18-22 (ASV)

St. John Chrysostom: Because Christ not only healed the body but also purified the soul, He desired to demonstrate true wisdom, not only by curing diseases but by doing nothing for show. Therefore it is said, "Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he commanded his disciples to cross over to the other side." He did this at once to teach us humility, to soften the ill-will of the Jews, and to instruct us to do nothing with ostentation.

Remigius of Auxerre: Or, He did this as one desiring to avoid the crowding of the multitude. But they clung to Him in admiration, crowding to see Him. For who would depart from one who performed such miracles? Who would not wish to look upon His face, to see the mouth that spoke such things? For if the face of Moses was made glorious, and Stephen's like that of an angel, you can imagine from this what their common Lord must have looked like; of whom the Prophet speaks, Thy form is fair above the sons of men (Psalm 45:2).

St. Hilary of Poitiers: The name "disciples" should not be thought of as confined to the twelve Apostles, for we read of many disciples besides the twelve.

St. Augustine of Hippo: It is clear that this day on which they went over the lake was another day, and not the one that followed the day on which Peter's mother-in-law was healed, on which day Mark and Luke relate that He went out into the desert.

St. John Chrysostom: Observe that He does not dismiss the multitudes, so that He might not offend them. He did not say to them, "Depart," but bade His disciples go away from there, so the crowds might hope to follow.

Remigius of Auxerre: What happened between the Lord's command and their crossing over, the Evangelist intends to relate in what follows: And one of the Scribes came to him and said, "Master, I will follow you wherever you go."

St. Jerome: This scribe of the Law, who knew only the perishing letter, would not have been turned away if he had addressed him as, "Lord, I will follow you." But because he regarded the Savior as only one of many masters, and was a "man of the letter"ⁱ (which is better expressed in Greek, γραματευς), not a spiritual hearer, he therefore had no place where Jesus might lay His head. It is suggested to us that he sought to follow the Lord because of His great miracles, for the sake of the gain to be derived from them, and was therefore rejected, seeking the same thing as Simon Magus did when he wanted to give Peter money.

St. John Chrysostom: Observe also his great pride. He approached and spoke as if he disdained being considered one of the multitude, desiring to show that he was above the rest.

St. Hilary of Poitiers: Alternatively, this scribe, being one of the doctors of the Law, asks if he should follow Him, as if the Law did not already teach that this is the one whom it is profitable to follow. Therefore, Christ exposes the feeling of unbelief hidden beneath the hesitation of his inquiry. For faith is taken up not by questioning, but by following.

St. John Chrysostom: So Christ answers him, not so much to what he had said, but to the obvious purpose of his mind. Jesus says to him, "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man has not where to lay his head;" as if to say:

St. Jerome: Why do you seek to follow me for the sake of worldly riches and gain, when my poverty is so great that I have neither lodging nor a home of my own?

St. John Chrysostom: This was not to send him away, but rather to expose his wrong motives, while at the same time allowing him, if he wished, to follow Christ with the expectation of poverty.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Alternatively, "The Son of man has not where to lay his head"—that is, in your faith. "The foxes have holes" in your heart, because you are deceitful. "The birds of the air have nests" in your heart, because you are proud. The deceitful and proud do not follow me, for how can guile follow sincerity? ¹

St. Gregory the Great: Alternatively, the fox is a crafty animal, hiding in ditches and dens, and when it comes out it never goes in a straight path, but in crooked windings. Birds raise themselves in the air. By the foxes, then, are meant the subtle and deceitful demons, and by the birds, the proud demons, as if He had said: Deceitful and proud demons have their home in your heart, but my humility finds no rest in a proud spirit. ²

St. Augustine of Hippo: He was moved to follow Christ because of the miracles; this vain desire for glory is signified by the birds. But he assumed the submissiveness of a disciple, which deceit is signified by the foxes. ³

Rabanus Maurus: Heretics, trusting in their own craftiness, are symbolized by the foxes; the evil spirits by the birds of the air. They have their holes and their nests—that is, their homes—in the heart of the Jewish people.

Another of his disciples said to him, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father."

St. Jerome: How is this disciple like the scribe? The one called Him Master; the other confesses Him as his Lord. The one, out of filial piety, asks permission to go and bury his father; the other offers to follow, not seeking a master, but seeking personal gain through his master.

St. Hilary of Poitiers: The disciple does not ask whether he should follow Him, for he already believed that he ought to follow, but prays to be allowed first to bury his father.

St. Augustine of Hippo: When the Lord prepares people for the Gospel, He does not want any excuse of fleshly and temporal attachment to interfere. Therefore it follows: Jesus said to him, "Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their dead." ⁴

St. John Chrysostom: This saying does not condemn natural affection for our parents but shows that nothing should be more binding on us than the work of heaven. To this we ought to apply ourselves with all our effort and not be lazy, however necessary or urgent the things that distract us are. For what could be more necessary than to bury a father? What more easy? For it could not require much time.

But in this, the Lord rescued him from much evil: from weeping, mourning, and the anxieties of what was to come. For after the funeral, there would be the reading of the will, the division of the inheritance, and other similar matters. Thus, one trouble after another, like waves, would have carried him far from the harbor of truth.

If you are still not convinced, consider that often the weak are not permitted to know the time of death or to follow the body to the grave, even if the dead is a father, mother, or son. Yet those who prevent them are not charged with cruelty; it is, rather, the opposite of cruelty. It is a much greater evil to pull someone away from spiritual teaching, especially when others were available to perform the burial rites, as it was here: "Leave the dead to bury their dead."

St. Augustine of Hippo: This is as if to say: Your father is dead, but there are also other dead who will bury their dead, because they are unbelievers.

St. John Chrysostom: This also shows that the deceased was not one of his own in faith, for I suppose the one who was dead was an unbeliever. If you wonder at the young man for asking Jesus in such a necessary matter, instead of just leaving on his own, you should wonder even more that he remained with Jesus after being forbidden to leave. This was not from a lack of affection, but so that he would not interrupt a more necessary task.

St. Hilary of Poitiers: We are also taught in the beginning of the Lord's prayer to first say, "Our Father, which art in heaven." Since this disciple represents the believing people, he is reminded here that he has only one Father in heaven (Matthew 23:9), and that the filial relationship between a believing son and an unbelieving father does not hold.

We are also admonished that the unbelieving dead should not be mingled with the memorials of the saints, and that those who live apart from God are also dead. The dead are buried by the dead because, through faith, it is right for the living to cling to the living God.

St. Jerome: But if the dead are to bury the dead, we ought not to be concerned for the dead but for the living, lest, while we are anxious about the dead, we ourselves should be counted as dead.

St. Gregory the Great: The dead also bury the dead when sinners protect sinners. Those who exalt sinners with their praises are hiding the dead under a pile of words. ⁵

Rabanus Maurus: From this, we may also take the opportunity to observe that lesser goods must sometimes be forfeited for the sake of securing greater ones.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Matthew relates that this happened when He commanded them to go over the lake, while Luke says it happened as they were walking along the way. This is not a contradiction, for they must have walked along the way in order to get to the lake. ⁶

1. Serm., 100, 1
2. Mor., xix. 1
3. Quaest. in Matt., q. 5
4. Serm., 100, 1
5. Mor., iv, 27
6. De Cons. Evan., ii, 23