The Son of Man
Of all the titles attributed to him
this was Jesus' favourite.
By that I mean it was the one most commonly used by Jesus himself.
In the gospels Jesus is recorded as
calling himself the Son of Man 84 times and the Son of God only 6 times. That
is exactly 14 times as often (Seven times two!).
Click here for a comprehensive list of places where ‘Son of
Man’ appears in the gospels.
God has given us the Bible as his
way of revealing himself to us.
In order to gain a proper
understanding of the meaning of any term used in the Bible all you need to do
is see how it is used in different places and use scripture to interpret
scripture.
Jesus himself derived his identity from the Old Testament
scriptures.
Check it. There is nothing he claimed about himself which had not been written
before in the Law and the Prophets.
Hebrews 10:7
¶Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume
of the book it is written of me,)
to do thy will, O God.
He came to fulfil the volume of the
book- the scriptures.
By them he knew the will of his
God.
The first time in the entire Bible
the term ‘son of man’ is used, it emphatically states that:
Numbers 23:19
God is not a man, that he should lie;
neither the son of man, that he
should repent
Strange way for Jesus to describe
himself to a Jewish audience steeped in the Old Testament scriptures, if he was
trying to tell them he was God Almighty in the flesh!
Throughout the Bible 'son of man'
only ever means human.
This is reinforced again and again through the use of Hebraic parallelisms:
Job 25:6
How much less man, that is a worm?
and the son of man, which is a worm?
Psalms 8:4
What is man, that thou art mindful
of him?
and the son of man, that thou
visitest him?
Job 35:8
Thy wickedness may hurt a man as thou art;
and thy righteousness may profit the
son of man.
Psalms 80:17
Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand,
upon the son of man whom thou madest
strong for thyself.
Psalms 144:3
LORD, what is man, that thou takest knowledge
of him!
or the son of man, that thou makest
account of him!
For a more comprehensive list of places in the Old Testament where ‘son of man’ is used- Click here.
The person most often called Son of
Man in the Bible is the prophet Ezekiel.
God calls him ‘son of man’ some 94 times. But out of the 108 times the word is
used in the Old Testament only once does it ever refer to the Messiah.
Also, there is a subtle but
significant difference in the way that Jesus used the word.
He called himself ‘the Son
of Man’- or to Jewish ears ‘the Human’.
The concept at the forefront of Jesus’ mind as he called himself ‘the Son of Man’ was both rich and profound. It comes from Daniel’s vision:
Daniel was a statesman and received visions of various ungodly world kingdoms, symbolised as fierce beasts and climaxing in the rule of the ‘little horn’ or antichrist.
But all of these thrones paled into insignificance in contrast to what he saw next.
Daniel 7:9
¶I beheld till the thrones were cast
down,
and the Ancient of days did sit, whose
garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his
throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.
10 A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.
This ‘Ancient of Days’ is none
other than God Almighty.
Next, Daniel sees another figure
approach one he could only describe as ‘the Son of Man’
Daniel 7:13
I saw in the night visions, and, behold,
one like the Son of man came with
the clouds of heaven,
and came to the Ancient of days, and
they brought him near before him.
14 And there was given
him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and
languages, should serve him:
his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
which shall not pass away,
and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
When Jesus claimed to be the Son
of Man he was not only asserting his absolute and authentic humanity, and by
implication that he was most certainly not God Almighty, but also laying claim
to the everlasting throne his Father would give him. The throne of David.
Isaiah 9:7
Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end,
upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with
justice from henceforth even for ever.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
His accusers understood this and
used his ‘admission’ of it as the grounds for his crucifixion:
Matthew 26:63
But Jesus held his peace. And the high
priest answered and said unto him,
I adjure thee by the living God, that
thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God.
64 Jesus saith unto him,
Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto
you,
Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and
coming in the clouds of heaven.
65 Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy.
66 What think ye? They answered and said, He is guilty of death.
Jesus proclaimed his everlasting
dominion over the Kingdom of God, seated on David’s throne- not by virtue of
him being God, but by virtue of his being ‘the Son of Man’ to whom God would
give it.
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1. Introduction |
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10. Seen! |
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17. Jesus- a Godsend |
18. 1 Creator |
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20. The firstborn |
21. The name of God |
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List of
Old Testament references to 'Son of Man':
Psalms 146:3 Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.
Isaiah 51:12 I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass;
Isaiah 56:2 Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil.
Jeremiah 49:18 As in the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbour cities thereof, saith the LORD, no man shall abide there, neither shall a son of man dwell in it.
Jeremiah 49:33 And Hazor shall be a dwelling for dragons, and a desolation for ever: there shall no man abide there, nor any son of man dwell in it.
Jeremiah 50:40 As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbour cities thereof, saith the LORD; so shall no man abide there, neither shall any son of man dwell therein.
Jeremiah 51:43 Her cities are a desolation, a dry land, and a wilderness, a land wherein no man dwelleth, neither doth any son of man pass thereby.
List of
references to 'Son of Man' in the gospels:
Matthew 8:20 And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.
Matthew 9:6 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.
Matthew 10:23 But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.
Matthew 11:19 The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.
Matthew 12:8 For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.
Matthew 12:32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.
Matthew 12:40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Matthew 13:37 He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;
Matthew 13:41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;
Matthew 16:13 ¶When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
Matthew 16:27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.
Matthew 16:28 Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.
Matthew 17:9 And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead.
Matthew 17:12 But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them.
Matthew 17:22 ¶And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men:
Matthew 18:11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.
Matthew 19:28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Matthew 20:18 Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death,
Matthew 20:28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
Matthew 24:27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Matthew 24:30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Matthew 24:37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Matthew 24:39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Matthew 24:44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
Matthew 25:13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
Matthew 25:31 ¶When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
Matthew 26:2 Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.
Matthew 26:24 The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born.
Matthew 26:45 Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.
Matthew 26:64 Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.
Mark 2:10 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,)
Mark 2:28 Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.
Mark 8:31 And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.
Mark 8:38 Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.
Mark 9:9 And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead.
Mark 9:12 And he answered and told them, Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all things; and how it is written of the Son of man, that he must suffer many things, and be set at nought.
Mark 9:31 For he taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day.
Mark 10:33 Saying, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes; and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles:
Mark 10:45 For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
Mark 13:26 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.
Mark 13:34 For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch.
Mark 14:21 The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him: but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! good were it for that man if he had never been born.
Mark 14:41 And he cometh the third time, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: it is enough, the hour is come; behold, the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.
Mark 14:62 And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.
Luke 5:24 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house.
Luke 6:5 And he said unto them, That the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.
Luke 7:34 The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners!
Luke 9:22 Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day.
Luke 9:26 For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels.
Luke 9:44 Let these sayings sink down into your ears: for the Son of man shall be delivered into the hands of men.
Luke 9:56 For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.
Luke 9:58 And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.
Luke 11:30 For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation.
Luke 12:8 Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God:
Luke 12:10 And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven.
Luke 12:40 Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.
Luke 17:22 And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it.
Luke 17:24 For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day.
Luke 17:26 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.
Luke 17:30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.
Luke 18:8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?
Luke 18:31 ¶Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished.
Luke 19:10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
Luke 21:27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
Luke 21:36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
Luke 22:22 And truly the Son of man goeth, as it was determined: but woe unto that man by whom he is betrayed!
Luke 22:48 But Jesus said unto him, Judas, betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss?
Luke 22:69 Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God.
Luke 24:7 Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.
John 1:51 And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.
John 3:13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.
John 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
John 5:27 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.
John 6:27 Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.
John 6:53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
John 6:62 What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?
John 8:28 Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.
John 12:23 And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.
John 12:34 The people answered him, We have heard out of the law that Christ abideth for ever: and how sayest thou, The Son of man must be lifted up? who is this Son of man?
John 13:31 ¶Therefore, when he was gone out, Jesus said, Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him.