Matthew 8:20 (WEB)
Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”
Catechism · 1
“This love is inspired by the Gospel of the Beatitudes, of the poverty of Jesus, and of his concern for the poor.” — Catechism footnote: CA 57; cf. Lk 6:20-22, Mt 8:20; Mk 12:41-44.
Fathers and councils · 50
Ambrose of Milan
“So too the Lord to him who said, “Lord, I will follow Thee withersoever Thou goest,” replied, “Foxes have holes.”” — editor's note: S. Matt. viii. 19, 20.
Read the whole comment“The Lord also in the Gospel rejected those coming to Him with guile, saying: “The foxes have holes,” for He bids us live in simplicity and innocency of heart.” — editor's note: S. Matt. viii. 20.
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Augustine of Hippo
“…and carnal men, who are known to Thine eyes, O our God, and have not as yet made themselves manifest unto us by works, that by their fruits we may know them; but Thou, O Lord, dost already know them, and Thou hast divided and hast called them in secret, before the firmament was made.” — editor's note: Matt. viii. 20.
Read the whole comment“For, according to this, Christ is the Son of man,—a title which He also gives very frequently to Himself, thereby commending to our notice what in His compassion He has condescended to be on our behalf.” — editor's note: Matt. viii. 20, ix. 6.
Read the whole comment“He next appends the following statement: “And a certain scribe came and said unto Him, Master, I will follow Thee whithersoever thou goest;” and so on, down to the words, “Let the dead bury their dead.”” — editor's note: Matt. viii. 19–22.
Read the whole comment“For also a certain proud and crafty person had said to Him, “Lord, I will follow Thee whithersoever Thou shalt have gone;” to whom He made answer, “Foxes have dens, and fowls of heaven nests: but the Son of Man hath not where to lay His Head.”” — editor's note: Matt. viii. 19, 20
Read the whole comment“And the Lord seeing in his heart what was invisible, said, “Foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man hath not where to lay His Head.”” — editor's note: Matt. viii. 20.
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John Chrysostom
“Christ sought after it, and saith, “But the Son of Man hath not where to lay His head.” ( Matt. viii. 20.)” — the author cites it
Read the whole comment“They had not even raiment, he says, through the excess of affliction, no city, no house, no lodging-place; the same which Christ said, “but the Son of Man hath not where to lay His head.” ( Matt. viii. 20.)” — the author cites it
Read the whole comment“Wherefore He said, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man hath not where to lay His head.” ( Matt. viii. 20.)” — the author cites it
Read the whole comment“For this cause He doth not choose for Himself so much as a house; for “the Son of Man,” saith He, “hath not where to lay His head;”and when Herod is plotting against Him, He fleeth, and at His birth is laid in a manger, and abides in an inn, and takes a mother of low estate; teaching us to…” — editor's note: Matt. viii. 20.
Read the whole comment“Hear Him saying, “The Son of Man hath not where to lay His head.”” — editor's note: Matt. viii. 20.
Read the whole comment“For “the foxes,” saith He, “have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man hath not where to lay His head.”” — editor's note: Matt. viii. 20.
Read the whole comment“Thus he, who at a certain time had a desire to follow Christ, was rejected, when he had been told, “The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air nests.”” — editor's note: Matt. viii. 20.
Read the whole comment““For except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of Heaven.”” — editor's note: Matt. viii. 20.
Read the whole comment“Neither “had the Son of Man where to lay His head.”” — editor's note: Matt. viii. 20.
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Catena Aurea on John
- John ChrysostomCatena Aurea on John
“(Matt. 8:20) when here He says, Come and see where I live?” — the author cites it
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Jerome
““The Son of man hath not where to lay his head,” and do you plan wide porticos and spacious halls?” — editor's note: Matt. viii. 20.
Read the whole comment“Even when a disciple would have buried his father, the Lord forbade him, and said: “Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man hath not where to lay His head.”” — editor's note: Matt. viii. 20–22.
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Tertullian
“That Lord walked in humility and obscurity, with no definite home: for “the Son of man,” said He, “hath not where to lay His head;” unadorned in dress, for else He had not said, “Behold, they who are clad in soft raiment are in kings’ houses:” in short, inglorious in countenance and aspect,…” — editor's note: Luke ix. 58; Matt. viii. 20.
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Aphrahat
“…He was rich, made Himself poor; and though He was lofty, humbled His Majesty; and though His dwelling place was in heaven, He had no place to lay His head; and though He is to come upon the clouds, yet rode on a colt and so entered Jerusalem; and though He is God and Son of God, He took upon Him the likeness of a…” — editor's note: Matt. viii. 20.
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Clement of Alexandria
“This, I think, is signified by the utterance of the Saviour, “The foxes have holes, but the Son of man hath not where to lay His head.”” — editor's note: Matt. viii. 20; Luke ix. 58.
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Cyprian of Carthage
“Of this same thing in Matthew: “The foxes have holes, and the birds of the heaven have nests; but the Son of man hath not where He may lay His head.”” — editor's note: Matt. viii. 20.
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Catena Aurea on Matthew
- John ChrysostomCatena Aurea on Matthew
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…
Read the whole comment - Remigius of AuxerreCatena Aurea on Matthew
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…
Read the whole comment - Hilary of PoitiersCatena Aurea on Matthew
The name “disciples” is not to be supposed to be confined to the twelve Apostles; for we read of many disciples besides the twelve.
Read the whole comment - Augustine of HippoCatena Aurea on Matthew
It is clear that this day on which they went over the lake was another day, and not that which followed the one on which Peter’s mother-in-law was healed, on which day Mark and Luke relate that He went out into the…
Read the whole comment - John ChrysostomCatena Aurea on Matthew
Observe that He does not dismiss the multitudes, that He may not offend them. He did say to them, Depart ye, but bade His disciples go away from thence, thus the crowds might hope to be able to follow.
Read the whole comment - Remigius of AuxerreCatena Aurea on Matthew
What happened between the command of the Lord given, and their crossing over, the Evangelist purposes to relate in what follows: “And one of the Scribes came to him and said, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever…
Read the whole comment - JeromeCatena Aurea on Matthew
This Scribe of the Law who knew but the perishing letter, would not have been turned away had his address been, ‘Lord, I will follow Thee.’ But because he esteemed the Saviour only as one of many masters, and was a…
Read the whole comment - John ChrysostomCatena Aurea on Matthew
Observe also how great his pride; approaching and speaking as though he disdained to be considered as one of the multitude; desiring to shew that he was above the rest.
Read the whole comment - Hilary of PoitiersCatena Aurea on Matthew
Otherwise; This Scribe being one of the doctors of the Law, asks if he shall follow Him, as though it were not contained in the Law that this is He whom it were gain to follow. Therefore He discovers the feeling of…
Read the whole comment - John ChrysostomCatena Aurea on Matthew
So Christ answers him not so much to what he had said, but to the obvious purpose of his mind. “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…
Read the whole comment - JeromeCatena Aurea on Matthew
. . Why do you seek to follow Me for the sake of the riches and gain of this world, when My poverty is such that I have neither lodging nor home of My own?
Read the whole comment - John ChrysostomCatena Aurea on Matthew
This was not to send him away, but rather to convict him of evil intentions; at the same time permitting him if he would to follow Christ with the expectation of poverty.
Read the whole comment - Augustine of HippoCatena Aurea on Matthew
Otherwise; “The Son of man hath not where to lay his head;” that is, in your faith. “The foxes have hole,” in your heart, because you are deceitful. “The birds of the air have nests,” in your heart, because you are…
Read the whole comment - Gregory the GreatCatena Aurea on Matthew
Otherwise; The fox is a crafty animal, lying hid in ditches and dens, and when it comes abroad never going in a straight path, but in crooked windings; birds raise themselves in the air. By the foxes then are meant…
Read the whole comment - Augustine of HippoCatena Aurea on Matthew
He was moved to follow Christ because of the miracles; this vain desire of glory is signified by the birds; but he assumed the submissiveness of a disciple, which deceit is signified by the foxes.
Read the whole comment - Rabanus MaurusCatena Aurea on Matthew
Heretics confiding in their art are signified by the foxes, the evil spirits by the birds of the air, who have their holes and their nests, that is, their abodes in the heart of the Jewish people. “Another of his…
Read the whole comment - JeromeCatena Aurea on Matthew
In what one thing is this disciple like the Scribe? The one called Him Master, the other confesses Him as his Lord. The one from filial piety asks permission to go and bury his father; the other offers to follow, not…
Read the whole comment - Hilary of PoitiersCatena Aurea on Matthew
The disciple does not ask whether he shall follow Him; for he already believed that he ought to follow, but prays to be suffered first to bury his father.
Read the whole comment - Augustine of HippoCatena Aurea on Matthew
The Lord when He prepares men for the Gospel will not have any excuse of this fleshly and temporal attachment to interfere, therefore it follows; “Jesus said unto him, Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their dead.”
Read the whole comment - John ChrysostomCatena Aurea on Matthew
This saying does not condemn natural affection to our parents, but shews that nothing ought to be more binding on us than the business of heaven; that to this we ought to apply ourselves with all our endeavours, and…
Read the whole comment - Augustine of HippoCatena Aurea on Matthew
As much as to say; Thy father is dead; but there are also other dead who shall bury their dead, because they are in unbelief.
Read the whole comment - John ChrysostomCatena Aurea on Matthew
This moreover shews that this dead man was not his; for, I suppose, he that was dead was of the unbelieving. If you wonder at the young man, that in a matter so necessary he should have asked Jesus, and not have gone…
Read the whole comment - Hilary of PoitiersCatena Aurea on Matthew
Also, because we are taught in the beginning of the Lord’s prayer, first to say, “Our Father, which art in heaven;” and since this disciple represents the believing people; he is here reminded that he has one only…
Read the whole comment - JeromeCatena Aurea on Matthew
But if the dead shall bury the dead, we ought not to be careful for the dead but for the living, lest while we are anxious for the dead, we ourselves should be counted dead.
Read the whole comment - Gregory the GreatCatena Aurea on Matthew
The dead also bury the dead, when sinners protect sinners. They who exalt sinners with their praises, hide the dead under a pile of words.
Read the whole comment - Rabanus MaurusCatena Aurea on Matthew
From this we may also take occasion to observe, that lesser goods are to be sometimes forfeited for the sake of securing greater.
Read the whole comment - Augustine of HippoCatena Aurea on Matthew
Matthew relates that this was done when He gave them commandment that they should go over the lake, Luke, that it happened as they walked by the way; which is no contradiction, for they must have walked by the way…
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Cross-references · 33
Parallel passages
Matthew 8:20 and Luke 9:58 share the same wording (24 words).
Cited together with
Cited together in Catechism §2444.
Cited together in Catechism §2444.
Cited together in Catechism §2444.
Cited together in Catechism §2444.
Cited together in Harmony of the Gospels II.2.
Cited together in Harmony of the Gospels II.2.
Cited together in Harmony of the Gospels II.2.
Cited together in Catechism §2444.
Cited together in Catechism §2444.
Cited together in Catechism §2444.
Cited together in Harmony of the Gospels II.24.
Cited together in The Stromata, or Miscellanies I.3.
Cited together in Harmony of the Gospels II.24.
Cited together in John Chrysostom on John 1:37–40 (3) (Catena Aurea).
Cited together in John Chrysostom on John 1:37–40 (3) (Catena Aurea).
Cited together in John Chrysostom on John 1:37–40 (3) (Catena Aurea).
Cited together in John Chrysostom on John 1:37–40 (3) (Catena Aurea).
Cited together in On the Duties of the Clergy III.11.
Cited together in The Stromata, or Miscellanies I.3.
Cited together in Confessions XIII.23.
Cited together in Confessions XIII.23.
Cited together in Confessions XIII.23.
Cited together in Confessions XIII.23.
Cited together in Catechism §2444.
Cited together in Confessions XIII.23.
Cited together in Confessions XIII.23.
Cited together in On the Duties of the Clergy III.11.
Cited together in The Stromata, or Miscellanies I.3.
Cited together in Confessions XIII.23.
Cited together in Confessions XIII.23.
Cited together in On the Duties of the Clergy III.11.
Cited together in The Stromata, or Miscellanies I.3.