Several titles are applied to Jesus. Mark 1:1 starts with two of these titles:
The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God … (NIV)
Jesus as the Messiah/Christ, is the most numerous. Christ (which means Anointed One or Messiah) is so often attached to His name, especially by Paul, that it may appear to be part of His name. To keep us from that mistaken notion, it would be best to put “the” before “Christ,” or better, make its use clearer by using “the Messiah.”
But when you come to Jesus, He does not use any of these titles to describe Himself. Instead, He calls Himself, “The Son of Man.” What did Jesus mean by this self-designation? Almost all the time the term is used in the Old Testament it simply means “human.” The vast number of occurrences of the term is found in Ezekiel, where the LORD calls him “son of man” and in several translations translate the term to mean “mortal.” Is that what Jesus meant about Himself, since He was fully human?
People who heard Him may have thought He simply meant “I am merely human,” but I’m convinced that’s not what He meant. As I said, it almost always means simply human, but not always. The important exception is in Daniel 7.
Daniel 7:13 “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. (NIV [emphasis mine])
This is what Jesus meant. His use of the term is found in stressing His authority to forgive sins, in being the Lord of the Sabbath, and significantly at His trial before the Sanhedrin:
Matthew 26:64 “But I say to all of you: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” (NIV [emphasis mine])
Echoes of Daniel 7 are strong here. The High Priest, for one, understood Jesus clearly, declaring that Jesus blasphemed. Had Jesus, the Son of Man, been merely human, He would have blasphemed. But, no blaspheme passed the lips of the true Daniel 7 Son of Man.
However, if Jesus was this Son of Man, why is He on trial at all? As I said in an earlier blog, this was the Father’s will, and Jesus accepted that will. And the purpose?
Mt 20:28 … just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (NIV)
Knowing this, He warned His disciples:
Mt 17:12 In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands." (NIV)
Mt 17:22 "The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. 23 They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life." (NIV)
Mt 20:18 "We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death 19 and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!" (NIV)
Mt 26:2 "As you know, the Passover is two days away — and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified." (NIV)
Mt 26:45 Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise, let us go! Here comes my betrayer!" (NIV)
The path to the exaltation of the Son of Man goes through Golgotha. For our salvation, the cross was necessary.
So, how do we respond to the necessary suffering of the glorious Son of Man? Jesus was betrayed then. He has often been betrayed since. Let us not be so infatuated by the treasures of this world that we also betray Him. Let us also know that His path is our path. As an old hymn states, “The Way of the Cross Leads Home” (Jessie Brown Pounds 1906). Seeking His glory means bearing His cross. This includes our faithful witness to Him in a hostile culture. It is the exalted Son of Man who calls to so follow.
Tim Kelley