Son of Man

One of Jesus’ favorite designations for Himself was “Son of Man.” This expression occurs 81 times in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Here are a few examples:

Matthew 9:6 (NIV) “‘But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.’ So he said to the paralyzed man, ‘Get up, take your mat and go home.’”

Matthew 16:27 (NIV) “For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.”

Luke 18:31 (NIV) “Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, ‘We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled.”

This title has its roots in the Old Testament. The prophets - those who acted as God’s instruments to the people - also received this designation (i.e. Daniel and Ezekiel). This term is also used in a key messianic prophecy of Daniel (Daniel 7:13-14), and in other books to denote humanity as a whole (Psalm 8:5; Jeremiah 51:43; etc.).

The key take-away for this term is that “son of man” implies a full identification with humanity. Jesus is the son of God but He is also the son of man. Jesus, as a man, entered human suffering in order to heal it. He brought light into our darkness (John 1:4). He became a man so that we could have access to participate in His divine nature (2 Peter 1:4).

The Greek word for son is huios. Its meaning extends far beyond the biological. In Greek thinking, to be a son is to represent or embody a concept or idea (thus you can find “sons of perdition”, “sons of thunder”, “sons of disobedience”, etc. in the Bible). Jesus is the son of God in that He is the fullest representation of the invisible Father (Colossians 1:15). He is the son of man in that He is a representative/representation of all humanity.

Jesus is the union of God and man. Jesus, by assuming the sins of the world as the lamb of God, united Himself to humanity on the cross. On the cross, we died with Jesus and were raised to new life (2 Corinthians 5:14-15; Romans 6:4; Colossians 2:12; Galatians 2:20). Just as Adam, one man, brought death to all men, Christ, as one man, brought life to all (Romans 5:15-17).

Jesus, the last Adam, canceled the sin of the first Adam and restored the righteousness (right-standing) of mankind before God. Just as Adam is a prototype or archetype for all mankind, so is Jesus. A prototype or archetype is the first in its class, serving as the “blueprint” or model. Jesus is the first of a new humanity, having restored mankind’s access to God through His sacrifice on the cross.

This new humanity is characterized by the tangible presence of God working in and through it. Most of Paul’s letters are concerned with stewarding the development of this new humanity - one that lives “between the ages” (1 Corinthians 10:11; 2 Corinthians 5:17; 1 Corinthians 7:31). Now seated with Christ in heavenly places, we have begun to progressively partake of the age that is to come. God is slowly but surely restoring all things.

When we read and learn about Jesus, we learn about us, because we are one with Christ (1 Corinthians 6:17; Galatians 2:20, Colossians 3:3, etc.) We can interpret the teachings, events and circumstances in Jesus’ life spiritually to greater understand the Christian way. Below are a few examples:

1) Restored vertical relationship with the Father.

Jesus has restored to mankind the ability to “walk in the Spirit.” We are able to live in a flow of the Father’s thoughts, and respond to them. We embody love. We do what we see the Father doing and say what we hear the Father saying.

2) Misunderstanding and criticism from entrenched religious system (the Pharisees).

Jesus is constantly at odds with the religious authorities, who had forsaken a true relationship with the Father in favor of mere human rules and regulations. This conflict is not exclusive to Jesus’ time - it is a pattern that will repeat itself throughout history until the Second Coming of Christ. To be sure, there are Christian “Pharisees” today who are blind to the reality of what God is doing and saying to His Body. God is using this tension to grow and evolve His body. There can be no growth without tension.

3) Love to the point of death.

Jesus loved to the point of death. However, He was promised vindication by the Father - He would be raised to life again in three days. This love sacrificed itself to the world, in order that the world could see the true power of God’s love. This is the revelation of Christ. We gain victory by loving our enemies in conflict and, if need be, suffering. God will vindicate us. The cross of Christ placed between those of two robbers is a perfect picture of agape love. Love is our primary weapon against the enemy. The two greatest commandments are to love God and love our neighbor. We are powerless in our own strength.

Jesus entered into our suffering as the son of man, so that we could become the sons of God (1 John 3:1; Galatians 4:7). He is a representative of all of humanity. In Him, we see ourselves. The lessons of His life are for us. We are a new humanity living in the life and power of the Holy Spirit. He is our model, our prototype, and our pattern. Day by day, we are becoming more like Him individually and corporately. One day, “when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is” (1 John 3:2).