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MATTHEW 8:20 — KING JAMES VERSION 0
Matt 8:19Matt 8:21
“And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.”
And Jesus said to him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. The title Son of Man appears here for the first time in Matthew, drawing on Daniel 7:13–14 where one like a son of man receives dominion and a kingdom from the Ancient of Days. Jesus applies this exalted title to himself in a context of homelessness: the Son of Man who will receive all authority has, in his earthly mission, no fixed home. The foxes and birds that are lower in the creation hierarchy have settled homes; the Son of Man does not. The contrast invites the scribe to count the cost of following one whose mission involves homelessness and marginality before the glory of Daniel 7 is realized.

Church Fathers on Matthew 8:20

Because Christ not only healed the body, but purified the soul also, He desired to shew forth true wisdom, not only by curing diseases, but by doing nothing with ostentation; and therefore it is said, 'Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he commanded his disciples to cross over to the other side.' This He did at once teaching us to be lowly, softening the ill-will of the Jews, and teaching us to do nothing with ostentation.

Chrysostom · 4th century

Or; He did this as one desiring to shun the thronging of the multitude. But they hung upon Him in admiration, crowding to see Him. For who would depart from one who did such miracles? Who would not wish to look upon His open face, to see His mouth that spoke such things? For if Moses' countenance was made glorious, and Stephen’s as that of an Angel, gather from this how it was to have been supposed that their common Lord must have then appeared; of whom the Prophet speaks,…

Remigius · 9th century

The name 'disciples' is not to be supposed to be confined to the twelve Apostles; for we read of many disciples besides the twelve.

Hilary of Poitiers · 4th century
Read all 27 entries in the readerCatena Aurea · St. Thomas Aquinas, tr. J. H. Newman · public domain
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Matthew 8:20 — Community Reflections | HolyStudy