Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Matthew 8:20

"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 8:20 (ASV)

Jesus’ response shows that he identifies the teacher of the law as someone less than fully committed; he wanted to be a follower, not a full-fledged disciple. Jesus’ reply was neither invitation nor rebuke but a pointed way of saying that true discipleship to the “Son of Man” is not comfortable and should not be undertaken without counting the cost (cf. Lk 14:25-33). In the immediate context of Jesus’ ministry, the saying does not mean that Jesus was penniless but homeless; the nature of his mission kept him on the move and would keep his followers on the move.

The phrase “the Son of Man” could easily be replaced here by the word “I” (see comment on Mk 8:31). It occurs in a setting that stresses Jesus’ humanity and may foreshadow his sufferings, a concept that was entirely incomprehensible to any Jew. Only after the Resurrection were the followers of Jesus able to understand the full message Jesus had in designating himself as “Son of Man.”