Luke 9:58, commentary and pictures

Jesus had less shelter than the animals, for foxes have holes and birds have nests while He had no settled home, no permanent place to sleep or rest, and no material security beyond present wants. Though He was heaven's King, rich in glory, and Creator and Owner of the world, He laid aside His royalty and lived humbly among the poorest in poverty, weariness, hunger, and suffering. He spoke this to one who promised to follow Him wherever He went, knowing just what answer was needed, neither warmly receiving nor repulsing the offer but setting before him a life of self-denial with mournful pathos, and while the hearer is identified in one account as Judas and in another as a scribe moved by greed and hope of riches and station, the answer still left opportunity to learn His mission and be saved. He accepted this poverty, hardship, and humiliation in order to save sinners, revealing the great self-denying love of God, honoring humanity, and becoming poor so that human beings might gain eternal riches. His words cut off all hope of earthly gain, rank, or reward from following Him, calling disciples to share His humiliation in self-denial and self-sacrifice and making His lowly life the pattern for believers to serve the needy, avoid lavish display, and use their means for His cause.

Setting and Original Hearers

The words were given to one who promised to follow wherever He went, and He knew just what answer that man needed. The answer made clear the hardship and lack of earthly comfort involved in following Him, setting before the offerer a life of self-denial rather than gain. In one account the hearer was Judas, who said Master, I will follow Thee whithersoever Thou goest, while Jesus was preparing the disciples for ordination and instructing them in their work.

In another account the hearer was a scribe whose offer arose from greed and from mistaking the teaching about treasure for a promise of riches and station in an earthly kingdom. He expected earthly wealth, rank, status, and reward from discipleship, and the answer exposed that selfish motive and cut off hope of earthly gain and temporal advantage. Jesus neither warmly received him nor repulsed him, but answered with mournful pathos.

The answer was not a rejection, for it still left open opportunity to learn His mission, gain moral strength, change the heart, and be saved. The scribe turned back unwilling to accept self-denial and sharing His humiliation without prospect of earthly reward, and Judas likewise chose otherwise than to be changed. The saying belongs to Christ's teaching to His followers shortly before He would be taken from them, urging careful study, hearts in harmony with Him, trust in what He will do for those who follow Him, and readiness for coming trials and persecutions.

Homeless Life Described

Foxes have burrows and birds have nests for shelter, but the Son of man had nowhere to lay His head and lived with even less shelter than they have. His words made clear the hardship and lack of earthly comfort involved in following Him, and His lack of a home formed part of the sorrow, hardship and conflict of His life. His example was one of self-denial, calling for fitting up for His kingdom by self-denial and self-sacrifice.

He had no settled home, no permanent place to sleep or stay, no place to rest, and no material security or stored supply beyond present wants. He accepted poverty and hardship and lived humbly among the poor, sharing their toil, privation and limited circumstances. He lived in self-denial and poverty without earthly luxuries, and without worldly security or riches. He gave Himself as a sinless offering so people could return to God.

Night after night He lay down upon the ground because that was the only place He had to rest for the night. He spent night after night on the ground sleeping without a good mattress, then went out the next day to reach people, letting His humanity touch their humanity so He might win souls. At times He slept outdoors with His disciples, having laid aside His royal status and having no home of His own. Night after night He also prayed for His flock that God would give them strength to obey.

His life was marked by poverty, privation, hunger, weariness, toil, sorrow, suffering, hardship and conflict. He often suffered hunger and had no place to rest, and He grew weary under humble human conditions. That lack of a home and lack of rest was part of His sufferings for others. It is to be remembered when believers pass through straight places instead of complaining and murmuring and demanding their own way.

He took His position in the world among the poorest in the very humblest poverty, so that the poorest could never say He did not know the temptations of poverty. His mother was poor and the family of Joseph was poor. He lived with less material comfort than even people earning modest wages, making His life an example of poverty and restraint. His followers' hardship and lack of food or money can be understood in light of the privation He Himself experienced. In earthly provision He fared no better than believers reduced to meal, rice, flour and beans to keep from starvation, having only enough for present wants, showing that such extreme poverty does not mean God has forgotten or forsaken His servants.

Divine Person Made Poor

Though He was heaven's King, the Prince of heaven, the Majesty of heaven, and rich in glory, He accepted poverty and hardship and lived humbly among the poor, sharing their toil, privation and limited circumstances and living without the comforts of a settled home. His lowly life with no place to rest His head was chosen though He was Owner of the world, and He went unrecognized and unhonored among the people He served in a ministry of love embracing the world. His example in this calls for self-denial and sacrifice and supports avoiding unnecessary display.

Though He was Creator and Owner of the world and of all worlds, to whom the whole world belonged, He claimed no part of it as His home and lived without seeking comfort or possessions. His life was marked by unselfishness and service to others, free from selfishness and devoted to doing good, relieving suffering and meeting the needs of the destitute. He bore this humiliation and sacrifice for humanity to bring many sons and daughters to God, exemplifying self-denial rather than self-pleasing.

In the heavenly courts He had a kingly crown and royal robe, with royalty and golden crown, which He laid aside to come to this earth as a man and even as a little child helping at the carpenter's trade, to live a life of poverty and self-denial. He could have appeared with the splendor and power of a king, but His work was marked by lowliness, humility, simplicity and lack of worldly display. His humble life stands as the example of self-denial and freedom from unnecessary display and lavishness, showing that God's work is not to be advanced through lavishness or efforts to make a display, while His giving of His life for sinful humanity shows the depth of His sacrifice.

Moving through a province of His own empire in the world He had created, He was not recognized or confessed by the nation He came to bless and save, but went unrecognized and unhonored by the many while even animals have shelter. As He walked among men scattering blessing wherever He trod, no anthem of praise floated around Him, and the air was often freighted with curses and blasphemy. As He passed to and fro among the subjects He came to save, scarcely a solitary voice called Him blessed, scarcely a solitary hand was stretched out in friendship, and scarcely a solitary roof proffered Him shelter. His humble earthly life belongs to His mission to show people the way to the haven of eternal rest, where the sinner may rise to become a child of God and an heir of heaven.

Beneath that disguise He was still divinity, the eternal Son of God, just as mighty and just as infinitely gifted with all the resources of power, found in fashion as a man. His lack of shelter expresses His complete self-emptying and humble servant's place in the work of salvation. He took humanity and shared the afflictions of the human race, though Creator and rich in glory making Himself poor for humanity and living without even a settled place to sleep or rest during His ministry.

Purpose in Becoming Poor

He took poverty, hardship, humiliation and the lack of any settled home or earthly honor upon Himself in order to save sinners, giving Himself as a sinless offering so that people might return to God. Though He had created the world, He lived in it without a place He could call His own, and He bore that humiliation for humanity so that He might bring many sons and daughters to God. He suffered the privations of poverty to save a race of sinners, and that same homeless life showed that following Him meant sharing His humiliation without prospect of earthly reward.

By accepting hungry, weary, homeless human conditions He honored humanity and revealed what human life may become through His example. His humble earthly life in the world He had made, unrecognized and unhonored while even animals have shelter, belongs to His mission to show people the way to the haven of eternal rest, where the sinner may rise to become a child of God and an heir of heaven.

His homeless state reveals the great love of the infinite God and His great self-denial and self-sacrifice in assuming humanity and humbling Himself to die, even to die an ignominious death. Moving through a province of His own empire unrecognized and unconfessed by the nation He came to bless and save, with scarcely a voice calling Him blessed, scarcely a hand stretched out in friendship, scarcely a roof offering Him shelter, and the air often filled with curses and blasphemy, He remained beneath that disguise divinity, the eternal Son of God, just as mighty and infinitely gifted with all resources of power. His humble, self-sacrificing life in poverty, often suffering hunger and having no place to rest, reveals divine love. He became poor so that through His poverty and humiliation human beings might come into possession of eternal riches and become partakers of the divine nature.

His example removes disgrace from poverty and teaches that people must not look down on the poor because they lack worldly advantages. His poverty was no disgrace, for sin is the disgrace, and by sharing the hardships of human life He understood the poor and their treatment. Though Creator of all worlds He came as a poor man with nowhere to lay His head, and He blesses the poor rather than honoring people for wealth. His life was free from selfishness and devoted to doing good, relieving suffering and meeting the needs of the destitute, letting His humanity touch their humanity so He might win souls.

Cost of Following Him

The words set His own poverty against the shelter of foxes and birds in order to cut off any hope of getting earthly gain and temporal advantage by following Him. They were spoken to Judas when he said he would follow wherever He went, while He was preparing the disciples for ordination and instructing them in their work, and He neither warmly received him nor repulsed him but answered with mournful pathos. Judas was selfish and sought connection with Him for that object. The answer was not a rejection, for it still gave opportunity to learn His mission, gain moral strength, change the heart, and be saved, but Judas chose otherwise.

Discipleship would bring no promise of worldly wealth, rank, status, earthly kingdom, or reward. He had no settled place to stay and lived without worldly security or riches, with no earthly honor or riches to offer His followers. The scribe who offered to follow Him had mistaken His teaching about treasure for a promise of riches and station in an earthly kingdom, and his hope arose from greed and a misreading that the answer exposed as a selfish motive. Those unwilling to accept that self-denial without prospect of earthly reward could turn back, as the scribe did after his worldly expectations were rebuked.

Following Him means sharing His humiliation and accepting a life of self-denial and self-sacrifice without prospect of earthly reward. He lived a life of lowliness, simplicity and poverty, with no home of His own, suffering the privations of poverty to save sinners. That following requires doing work to help suffering fellow beings right where one is, without demanding a stipulated sum, without refusing service unless placed in a position that preserves dignity, and without following worldly customs and display. He became poor so that through His poverty and humiliation human beings might come into possession of eternal riches and become partakers of the divine nature.

The call requires believers to be fitted for His kingdom by self-denial and self-sacrifice. It was spoken to one who loved His teaching and promised to follow wherever He went, and He knew just what answer that person needed. The Son of man had no home in which to lay His head, spending night after night on the ground without a good mattress, then going out the next day to reach people, letting His humanity touch their humanity so He might win souls. Though the great Teacher, the Son of the living God, He laid off His golden crown and laid aside His royal robes and royalty to become a little child helping at the carpenter's trade. Believers are therefore to want heaven at the cost of all things and eternal life and souls saved, to act a part in their salvation, with every person having a work to win souls, forming character upon His divine similitude where humanity grasps divinity. That fitting up means prizing simplicity, having a religion that works with power in the family through prayer and belief and reformation in the home, handling money as God's money, refusing to waste it on candies, bows, ribbons, and needless portions of dress, and saving pennies and small means to fund missionary efforts, educate souls, and build plain, simple, humble schoolhouses and meetinghouses to bring souls to the knowledge of the truth.

Pattern for Believers Today

His homelessness shows that though He made the world, after taking humanity He lived on earth without a settled place to sleep or stay. His lowly, self-sacrificing divine-human life as author and finisher of faith is the pattern and guide in the work of saving souls. That pattern teaches humility and self-denial, and requires workers to follow His self-sacrificing example rather than seeking higher wages because of talent or the importance of their work.

He lived a life of lowliness, simplicity and poverty with no home of His own, accepting the privations of poverty in order to save sinners. Following Him therefore requires self-denial and self-sacrifice, doing work to help suffering fellow beings right where one is. His followers are not to demand a stipulated sum, nor to refuse service merely because it offers little pay, low status, sacrifice, or loss of worldly dignity, comfort and display, nor to follow worldly customs and display. He became poor so that through His poverty and humiliation human beings might come into possession of eternal riches and become partakers of the divine nature.

His poverty and lack of outward display call believers to reject lavishness and to refuse to advance God's work through lavishness, worldly display, selfish spending, and needless display. Money is to be handled as God's money, not wasted on candies, bows, ribbons and needless portions of dress, but pennies and small means saved to fund missionary efforts, educate souls, and bring souls to knowledge of the truth. That same self-denial calls for plain, simple, humble schoolhouses and meetinghouses, since although He could have appeared with the splendor and power of a king He lived without even a settled place to sleep.

Those who receive His grace should not expect greater comfort for themselves than He had in toil and poverty without the comforts of a settled home. They should be willing to do without things and use their means for His cause, not complaining of hardship nor putting personal comfort ahead of supporting the Lord's work.

Those who serve in His place to call people to reconciliation with God and back to God should expect to share in suffering during this life while hoping to reign with Him in glory. His lack of a home and settled place to rest was part of His sufferings for others, His life being marked by toil, sorrow and suffering. That is to be remembered when believers pass through straight places, instead of complaining and murmuring, demanding their own wishes and way, and following their own will, for forgetting it leads to unwillingness to suffer for Christ after all He suffered for them.

Paul followed that same example, for like his Master he was a homeless wanderer who lived to bless humanity, enduring poverty, self-denial and suffering for the truth. Christ's life of poverty without a home or earthly luxury means those who truly represent Him will share that humble and self-denying character. His lack of worldly luxury and comfort therefore stands in direct contrast to and exposes the wealth, indulgence, magnificence, luxury and vice of pretended representatives, including leaders sustained by taking money for indulgences.

He identifies Himself with the needy and afflicted, so that hardship borne by His suffering followers is His own, and turning a stranger away or neglecting the poor is treated as neglecting Him Himself. His condition rebukes half-heartedness and complaining about having a hard time. Night after night He prayed for His flock that God would give them strength to obey, then lay down upon the ground because that was the only place He had to rest, at times sleeping without a good mattress and going out the next day to reach people, letting His humanity touch their humanity so He might win souls.

He calls for daily communion with heavenly agencies, humility before God, and throwing the helpless soul upon Christ, who gives an experience of more value than gold or silver or precious stones. Every follower is to prize simplicity, to have a religion that works with power in the family through prayer and belief and reformation in the home, to want heaven at the cost of all things, to want eternal life and souls saved and to act a part in their salvation, forming character upon His divine similitude where humanity grasps divinity. He took His position among the poorest in the very humblest poverty, His mother being poor and Joseph's family being poor, so the poorest could never say He did not know the temptations of poverty, and the Christian is to be Christlike in that same spirit, receiving heavenly power by complying with the conditions.

Though King of glory and engaged in a ministry of love embracing the world, He lived without the comforts of a settled home, often suffering hunger and having no place to rest, and His humble, self-sacrificing life revealing divine love calls God's servants to self-denial and sacrifice and all who love Him to devote themselves to serving others and saving souls. Moving through a province of His own empire He was unrecognized and unconfessed by the nation He came to bless and save, with no anthem of praise around Him, scarcely a voice calling Him blessed, scarcely a hand stretched out in friendship, scarcely a roof offering shelter, and the air often freighted with curses and blasphemy, yet beneath that disguise He was still divinity, the eternal Son of God, just as mighty and infinitely gifted with all resources of power. His homeless state reveals the great love of the infinite God and His great self-denial and self-sacrifice in assuming humanity and humbling Himself to die, even an ignominious death, teaching the need of humility and of walking humbly with God and guarding on every point, with every person having a work to win souls.