Jesus as the Son of Man
Throughout the Gospels, Jesus consistently identified Himself by one particular title. He used it more frequently than any other:
- When speaking with unbelievers who desired to follow Him, He said: “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” (Mt 8:20)
- When responding to a challenge of the Pharisees, He said: “The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners’” (Mt 11:19)
- When placing Himself in the unique position of being the fulfillment of the law, He said: “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath." Mt 12:8
- When illustrating His time in the tomb from the Old Testament, He said: “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” (Mt 12:40)
- When describing His own role in one of His parables, He said: “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man.” (Mt 13:37)
- When speaking to the Jewish council during His trial, Jesus said to the High Priest who had put Him under oath and demanded to know if He was claiming to be the Messiah: “It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.” (Mt 26:64)
These are just a few of the many occurrences when Jesus used the expression “Son of Man” to apply to Himself. But it is this last one which is a quotation from Daniel chapter 7 which holds the key to its significance. In most cases, the expression “son of man” referred to a variety of specific human beings, but here, it refers specifically to the Messiah - God’s Chosen One, the Deliverer, the Righteous Judge.
Catch the irony of the situation. Jesus, the Messiah, is bound as a prisoner standing before a human judge who despises Him and longs to send Him to a Roman cross to suffer the most degrading painful death imaginable. In a rage, this man has risen from his throne of honour to tower over his hapless prisoner. Jesus has not been answering the charges against Him thus far, so the high priest puts Him under oath. He uses His human authority to force Jesus to answer question, “Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!” (Mt 26:63)
Jesus, legally compelled to respond, answers simply. “It is as you said.” That would have been enough, but then He adds a sentence, quoting from Daniel 7, which points out the irony of the situation. “Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.” With these words, He confirms that the title “Son of Man” applies to Him in His role as Messiah. Then look at the contrasts:
- On that day, He was standing as a condemned prisoner; in the future He will be sitting.
- On that day, He seemed to be on His own, powerless, abandoned by God; in the future His place will be at the right hand of God.
- On that day, He was bound and totally under the control of the court; in the future He would be coming on the clouds of Heaven in great glory.
What we don’t see in the abbreviated quotation in Matthew, but which the passage in Daniel reveals (and which the High Priest would have known) is that in that future day, He would be “given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him.” (Daniel 7:14)
While Jesus words provoked the High Priest to tear his robes in anger and pursue Jesus’ execution with frightening zeal, it makes Jesus followers celebrate. We, created human creatures, have a representative sitting at the right hand of all of the Power in the universe. There is a Man next to God’s throne, but not just any man. It is the Messiah, the Deliverer, the Saviour, the Son of Man.
Ron Hughes
© January 2008
