Matthew 8:18-22
Amplified Bible
Discipleship Tested
18 Now when Jesus saw a crowd around Him, He gave orders to cast off for the other side of the Sea of Galilee. 19 Then [on His way to board the boat] a scribe [who was a respected and authoritative interpreter of the Law] came and said to Him, “Master, I will accompany You [as Your student] wherever You go.”(A) 20 Jesus replied to him, “Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the [a]Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”(B) 21 Another of the [b]disciples said to Him, “Lord, let me first go and [c]bury my father (collect my inheritance).”(C) 22 But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me [believing in Me as Master and Teacher], and allow the [spiritually] dead to bury their own dead.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Matthew 8:20 Jesus uses this title to identify Himself as Messiah. It appears over eighty times in the Gospels.
- Matthew 8:21 Disciple does not always refer to a true believer, but may also be used to refer to someone who is merely a student or learner.
- Matthew 8:21 Possibly an idiom meaning something like, “after my father dies and after I observe the traditional mourning period and after I receive my inheritance, then I will do such and such.” This was probably nothing more than a petty excuse to avoid making a commitment to Jesus and had nothing to do with the condition of the man’s father (who was probably fine).
Matthew 8:18-22
New International Reader's Version
The Cost of Following Jesus
18 Jesus saw the crowd around him. So he gave his disciples orders to go to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. 19 Then a teacher of the law came to him. He said, “Teacher, I will follow you no matter where you go.”
20 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens. Birds have nests. But the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
21 Another follower said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
22 But Jesus told him, “Follow me. Let the dead bury their own dead.”
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