“The Son of Man” is Jesus’ favorite name for himself. To critics who have faulted both him and John the Baptist, he says: “For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man has come, eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ ” (Luke 7: 33-34~NKJV; see also Matt 11: 18-19).
When others object to Jesus’ telling a man his sins are forgiven, he replies, “ ‘Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, “Your sins are forgiven you,” or to say, “Arise, take up your bed and walk?” But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins—’ He said to the paralytic, ‘I say to you, Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house’ ”(Mark 2: 9-11; see also Matt 9: 6 and Luke 5: 24).
Jesus describes costly discipleship: “If anyone desires to follow me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me,” and ends the teaching with a word of encouragement: “For the Son of Man will come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he will reward each according to his works” (Matt 16: 24, 27).
“For as the lightening comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be” (Matt 24: 27).
During his last meal with his disciples, he predicted his death and added: “And truly the Son of Man goes, as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!” (Luke 22: 22; also Matt 26: 24a ).
Jesus didn’t invent the name he used for himself–“Son of Man.” It comes from the Hebrew Bible. We find it in Psalm 8: 3-5, where David writes: “When I consider the heavens, the work of your fingers, / The moon and the stars, which you have ordained, / What is man that you are mindful of him, / And the son of man that you visit him? / For you have made him a little lower than the angels, / And you have crowned him with glory and honor.”
“Son of man,” is what God calls Ezekiel. “Ezekiel himself never employs the phrase: he only records it,” G. A. Chadwick comments (“Son of Man,” biblehub.com). But the designation is regularly used by God when he talks to the prophet (Ezek 6: 2; 12: 2, 9, 18, and 27; 16: 2).
When Daniel refers to the Son of Man, the picture takes on a different, more wondrous character: “I was watching in the night visions, / And behold, one like the Son of Man, / Coming with the clouds of heaven! / He came to the Ancient of Days, / And they brought him near before him. / Then to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom” (Dan 7: 13-14a ).
In Ezekiel, the expression clearly indicates the human prophet God addresses. Not so with Daniel. Daniel’s meaning is just as clear: The “one like the Son of Man” is apparently human but much more. He is “coming with the clouds of heaven.” He is received at the throne of God and “given dominion and glory and a kingdom.” Chadwick observes: “This person only resembles ‘the son of man.’ “
The New Testament records others who picked up the title–for example, Stephen, the first Christian martyr: “And he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and said, ‘Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!’ ” (Acts 7: 56). Also In Hebrews 2: 6, the writer, quoting Psalm 8, reminds us of David’s usage: “What is man that you are mindful of him, / Or the son of man that you visit him?”
So is it “son of man” or “Son of Man,” human or more than human? And why was this Jesus’ preferred name for himself?
If you’ll bear with me a minute, I’ll explain how that question was answered for me.
At one time, I had a wild flower hobby. My children might say I was a wild flower freak. They’ll groan if you mention it because they sometimes had to endure road trips interrupted by their mama’s yelling, “Stop! I’ve got to see that . . ..” In the process, I learned something about flower names. The common identifiers reflect something exceptional. For example, goldenrods have names like “Lance-leaved Goldenrod,” or “Slender Fragrant Goldenrod,” or “Hard-leaved Goldenrod”—all pointing to unique characteristics, details that distinguish one from another. Exceptions.
When Jesus called himself the Son of Man, he was stating the exception. His nature is more than human. For him to “empty himself” (Phil 2: 8) and “be found in appearance as a man,” was the exception, not his accustomed state. Yes, he is the Son of Man—emptied for our sake, having human weakness, even our mortality—and also God the Son, having authority to take up his life again (John 10: 18) and raise us with him.
from The Edgefield Advertiser, oldest newspaper in South Carolina
May 20, 2019
Photo credits: Feast (1549592406-9feff86235ab), lightning by Casey Horner, wild flowers by Heather Barnes. All are from unsplash.com
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