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Bible Passages Explained - by Rob Irish: Matthew 8:19-20

When Jesus is travelling, one of the leaders of the church (a scribe) comes to Jesus and says “I will follow you wherever you go.” On the surface this looks like a great statement of faith, here’s someone ready to join. In most churches, they’d say sign him up, get him to teach Sunday school, put him on the church board. But Jesus responds completely differently. He says something that on the surface looks completely baffling:
“Foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” This sounds odd to us, but to a first century Jew living in Palestine, like that scribe, the message would have been much clearer. The best known “fox” in that time and place was King Herod (see Luke 13:32, where Jesus calls him a fox). So, when Jesus says the fox has his hole, he’s referring to the fact that Herod can hide out in his fortified palace.

Similarly, the “birds of the air” has a political edge. Caesar’s imperial standard was flying all over Palestine and what was his symbol? The eagle. So, just as the fox image is dangerously political, so too is the “birds of the air”.

By contrast, Jesus says that he, “the Son of Man” has nowhere to lay His head. Following Jesus is dangerous, it’s not about creature comforts. If you want that, join the Conservative party. If you want to follow Jesus, remember he’s not safe.

Matthew 8:21-23

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Bible Passages Explained - by Rob Irish: Matthew 8:19-20

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