In the New Testament, the phrase “Son of Man” is used to describe Jesus almost eighty-eight times. In fact, this was Jesus’ favorite way to refer to Himself. Jesus refers to Himself as the “Son of Man” about fifty times throughout the four Gospels. What is the significance of this phrase? What does this title teach us about the identity of our Lord and Savior?
In the Old Testament, the phrase “son of man” is oftentimes used to simply refer to a human being. A “son of wickedness” (Psalm 89:22) refers to a person who is defined by wickedness. A “son of nobles” (Ecclesiastes 10:17) refers to a person who is born into nobility. In a similar way, “son of man” is used in the Old Testament, the majority of the time, to refer to individuals who are defined by humanity, people who are literally sons of men. In Psalm 8:3-4, David asks God, “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?” David is overwhelmed by the fact that the Creator of the world takes notice of and cares for humanity (“the son of man”). In the book of Ezekiel, God calls the prophet “son of man” about ninety-three times, simply referring to him as a human being. In prophesying the overthrow of Edom, the Lord says, “…no one will live there, nor will a son of man reside in it” (Jeremiah 49:18). The majority of the time, the phrase “son of man” is used in the Old Testament to refer to people.
What does this phrase teach us about Jesus? As we considered a few weeks ago, Jesus existed, from before the creation of the world, in the very form of God and was equal with God (Philippians 2:6). Simply put, Jesus was God (John 1:1-2). However, as John 1:14 states, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” According to Philippians 2:7-8, Jesus “emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Jesus, the eternal God, came to earth as a human being. That is a portion of what Jesus being the “Son of Man” means in the Bible. Jesus came to earth and was born with a physical body, just like us. Jesus lived, day after day, experiencing emotion (Mark 3:5) and temptation (Hebrews 4:15), just like we do. Demonstrating great humility, Jesus is the Son of Man. He came to earth and lived as a human being. This title demonstrates our Lord’s humanity.
As Jesus currently reigns at God’s right hand as our intercessor (Romans 8:34) and advocate (1 John 2:1), He completely understands what being human is like because He has experienced it. As the Son of Man, Jesus knows how hard life can be. Because He has experienced suffering and temptation in human form, He is able to give aid to us when we are at our lowest points in life (Hebrews 2:18). Thanks be to God for the Son of Man, our Lord! Next week, we will take one step further into thinking about Jesus as the Son of Man.
-Tyler Alverson
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