Jesus-the Son of Man: Both God and Man

Jesus is called many names in the New Testament. The name He referred to Himself as the most was Son of Man. Over eighty times our Lord calls Himself this. Interestingly, His disciples never referred to Him in this way. This is a deeply significant name that tells us something about the character and person of Jesus.

The Old Testament Use of 'Son of Man'

In the Old Testament, Ezekiel is referred to as son of man. The difference is that in the New Testament, Jesus is called 'the' Son of Man. Where Ezekiel was merely a human, because he was the son of a man, Jesus is The Son of Man. Jesus is unique. Jesus is the only sinless, perfect man. 1 John 4:2 tells us that Jesus didn't just come as some spirit being, but as a human in the flesh.

Jesus’ Humanity and Divine Mission

Jesus was fully human. He was born of the virgin Mary and conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus's earthly father Joseph had no part in this miraculous event.

The Son of God, in order to reconcile the world to Himself, became a man, the Son of Man. To picture the God of the Universe stooping so low as to become a physical man is almost beyond our ability to grasp. This is the degree to which we are loved. Our God has become one of us, walking among us, living as one of us, to die on a cross and bear our sins. His suffering was predicted in Isaiah 52:13-53:12.

Jesus, the Suffering Servant

Jesus referred to Himself as the Son of Man who would suffer, be rejected, and rise again (Mark 8:31). The One who had no place to lay his head (Matthew 8:20). He taught his own disciples that He would be killed but rise again in three days (Mark 9:31), even though they didn't fully comprehend what this meant. It was difficult for them to imagine, as it was the Jewish high priest, how the Messiah could be the suffering Servant (Isaiah 52:13-53:12) and the King of Glory.

Jesus, the Son of Man at His Trial

Because Jesus could forgive sin (Mark 2:10), raise the dead (John 11:38-44), cast out demons (Luke 11:14-26), and execute judgment (John 5:22), He was God. At His trial before the Sanhedrin, Son of Man was the title He used to prophesy that they would see Him sitting at the right hand of the Power and coming on a cloud (Mark 14:62). This connection between God and the clouds is seen many times, especially in the Old Testament. Jesus was referring to Himself as their God who would come again as the judge of the world. This ended the trial because in the minds of the Jewish high priest this was blasphemy. Blasphemy deserved death.

Jesus Fulfills the Daniel Prophecy

It would have been obvious to the educated Jews of the day that when Jesus referred to Himself as 'the Son of Man' He was referencing Daniel 7:13-14. In Daniel's vision, Daniel prophesies about one like a son of man came who was given an everlasting kingdom. This was a prophecy of the coming Messiah. The Jewish people never viewed the Messiah as God. To them He was simply a righteous man who would bring peace to the world and reign over a united Israel. So when Jesus uses the same name as in Daniel, Son of Man, He was declaring the prophecy fulfilled. The Messiah had come but not in the way that was expected.

The Unexpected Form of the Messiah

Jesus humbled Himself by coming to earth, not as a glorious ruler of a world where all things praised Him, but as a seemingly unimportant son of a carpenter from the small town of Nazareth. The Jews at the time simply could not imagine that God would come in so lowly a form to reconcile man and God, and then return in the future as Lord of all.

Disciples’ Growing Recognition of Jesus

When the disciples first followed Jesus it was as students of a teacher. But after calming the sea they exclaim in Matthew 14:33, "Truly you are the Son of God." Then, as their eyes were opened to who He really was, Peter declares in Matthew 16:13-16, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus tells Peter that only God could have opened his eyes to this truth.

In John 14:9, Jesus plainly tells the disciples that if they have seen Him then they have seen the Father. Even after Jesus's resurrection, when He appeared to the disciples, they thought they were seeing a ghost (Luke 24:37). In Luke 24:45, the Bible says Jesus opened His disciples' minds to understand that He fulfilled what was written in the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms. They understood that He truly was the Son of Man and the Son of God.

The Title of Christ and Its Significance

The title, Christ, means the anointed one or the chosen one. In other words, the Messiah, who would bring deliverance to His people. Jesus had been anointed with oil on several occasions, but the most significant anointing He received was from the Holy Spirit at His baptism. What many Jews did not realize was that the greatest need they had was not for a military deliverer but for One who could deliver them from sin. Once that task was accomplished, then when the time is right, Jesus will indeed return as the mighty hero of His people to usher in a new age. Will He find us living as a vessel of honor (2 Timothy 2:21)?

Reflection on the Return of Jesus

This makes me think about our present time. So many learned people are so sure about how Jesus will return and specific events that must occur, but could we, like the Jews, perhaps not see everything as plainly as we think we do? The Lord will return. He will come again, but specific details about when or how this happens may not be exactly as we think they are.

The Mission of the Son of Man

In Luke 19:10, Jesus explains the reason He has come, "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." It is not as a simple human that He has come, it is as the Son of God and the Son of Man. Jesus, both fully human and fully divine, in every way is our perfect sacrifice. He is the Son of God who takes away the sins of the world. And at the same time, the Son of Man who lived as one of us and reconciled us to God. Jesus also came to teach us how to love like He does.

The only Son of God, having become the Son of Man, makes many sons of men the sons of God. - St. Augustine

Jesus Came to Serve, Not to Be Served

In Mark 10:45, Jesus refers to Himself as the Son of Man who has come, not to be served but to serve. He has come to give His life as a ransom for many. This is God, come down to show men what loving God really means. We care for others because we love. That is our main purpose on this earth, to show God's love to the world, to become like Christ. We are to serve and care for others before we care for ourselves, just as Jesus did.

The Coming Kingdom of Jesus

By His death and resurrection He has become our eternal mediator between God and man. In Luke 17:21, Jesus tells the Pharisees that, "For indeed, the kingdom of God is in your midst." (NIV) Even now, Jesus is our King and is in our midst changing the hearts of His believers.

In John 18:36, Jesus says His Kingdom is not of this world. We also are a stranger in the earth. His Kingdom will be fully established at the End of Days when He comes in power and glory to rule and to reign with His saints. Just as Revelation 11:15 says, “the kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever”. Today when we turn to Him for our salvation, we are being brought into His kingdom and out of this world. One by one we become part of His kingdom. Oh, but when He returns, then it is, that every knee will bow and tongue confess that He is Lord (Philippians 2:10-11).