Matthew 8:20 – June 28, 2021

Jesus answered him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.” Matthew 8:20 NABRE           

Jesus has a large following after several healings, so He instructs His disciples to cross the sea. It is His desire to separate those who are just curious from those who desire true discipleship. We read a scribe; a religious scholar who is an expert in the Law of Moses, declares he will follow Jesus wherever He goes. However the scribe doesn’t appear as a true disciple, understanding Jesus’ full identity. Those with great faith, who approach Jesus looking for a miracle, call Jesus Lord, this scribe refers to Jesus as teacher, and it is common for students to seek out a teacher and learn from them. Jesus recognizes this scribe is not quite as sincere as others and challenges him saying the life the Son of Man leads is very austere, it is the life of an itinerant minister and a disciple may not even have a place to rest their head. We cannot read what this scribe decides after hearing these words from Jesus but we are fortunate to have these words in Matthew’s writing. Disciples don’t look for glory, they don’t become rich, they don’t take time off, they are perpetually sharing the good news of Jesus. In the modern era it is not so easy to travel from place to place and sleep wherever we desire so the itinerant minister has become more professional, raising funds and sometimes even opening a building that welcomes people to share the gospels. 

Jesus refers to Himself in this passage as Son of Man, it is the first time it is used in the gospel of Matthew. It means human, son of Adam, quite possibly Jesus wants us to know there is nothing special about what He does, we all can do as He does. 

Do you have a place to rest? Does your physical needs require more of your energy than your ministry?

Jesus refers to Himself as Son of Man, it means human, son of Adam, quite possibly Jesus wants us to know there is nothing special about what He does, we all can do as He does. Click To Tweet

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