Beth-El Baptist Church

08/01/2010

Greg Tomlinson


Why does Jesus call himself “The Son of Man”?


In the New Testament, Jesus refers to Himself as the “Son of Man” 80 times (32 in Matthew, 25 in Luke, 15 in Mark, 12 in John). To some, this indicates that Jesus is simply a wise human being and only worthy to be followed, as are many other wise human beings. To others, this designation has a much greater significance.


See Matthew 16:13 for one NT use by Jesus.


  1. What are some Old Testament uses of the “Son of Man”?

Numbers 23:19 Job 25:6

Psalm 8:3-5; 80:14-19; 144:3-4; 146:1-4 Isaiah 51:12-13

Jeremiah 49:18-19; 51:42-43 Ezekiel 2:1-10; 3:1-7; 3:16-21; 8:5-18; 16:1-15

Ezekiel 33:1-15; 37:1-10; 40:1-5 Daniel 7:13-14; 8:15-17


The identification of “son of man” in the Old Testament is mostly used to identify someone as being completely distinct and separate from God. It is a designation of mere humanity or mere flesh, of someone who is completely helpless when in the presence of God. The phrase “son of man” appears most frequently in the book of Ezekiel (93 times). The use in Ezekiel is very much a strong designation of Ezekiel as being less than God, he is nothing more than the “son of man”. In most instances, it is God who speaks to Ezekiel, calling him the “son of man” as he tells Ezekiel to prophesy and to go and see the great sinfulness of Jerusalem. As the “son of man”, Ezekiel is called to be a faithful servant, to do the work that God has given him. Ezekiel's job is to be a “watchman” to tell others about the righteous judgment of God and for man's great need to repent. In the book of Daniel, the “son of man” is used to indicate the ultimate ruler who received authority to rule over all the earth by God.


  1. What is the immediate context of some of the “Son of Man” designations?

Matthew 8:18-22; 9:1-8; 10:21-25; 11:16-20; 12:1-8; 12:31-32; 13:37-42; 13:24-28; 18:10-14

Matthew 20:25-28; 24:24-31; 24:37-39; 26:23-24

Mark 2:1-11; 2:27-28; 8:29-38; 13:31-37 Luke 5:17-26; 6:1-5; 9:20-26; 9:38-45; 17:22-30

John 1:47-51; 3:10-15; 5:25-29; 6:60-64; 8:24-29


Jesus uses the identification of the “Son of Man” to amplify His humility and yet to designate His role as a faithful servant to God. This would parallel the use in Ezekiel. Jesus also used the identification of being the “Son of Man” to identify one who has the greatest of authority, even to the point of being able to forgive sins. This would parallel the use in Daniel. Most of the uses in Matthew designate Himself as one in authority – the ultimate authority. As the “Son of Man”, Jesus is the great power and deliverer. He is the Messiah. Mark and Luke follow much of what Matthew state about Jesus being the “Son of Man”, including His designation as the suffering servant. A major identification of “Son of Man” in John is the deity of Jesus, since it is strongly likened with the heavenly realm, eternal judgment and life. Of particular interest is John 8:24-29 in which Jesus states what when He is lifted up, speaking of His death on the cross, then everyone will know that “I am”. The Greek text does not have an object for “am”, Jesus is simply stating that “I am”.


  1. Did the Jews of Jesus' day understand anything in particular with Jesus being the “Son of Man”?

Matthew 16:13-14 Mark 14:60-64

John 12:31-36 Revelation 1:10-20


Jesus specifically ties being the “Son of Man” with “sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven” which is a specific reference to Daniel 7 where the “son of man” is the ultimate ruler. At His attributing to Himself this designation of “Son of Man”, the High Priest tore his clothing and accused Jesus of blasphemy. Thus the Son of Man is not only a Messianic designation for Jesus, but it also identifies Jesus as the ultimate and supreme authority, who is God. It is a divine title for Jesus. In John, the people understood that the “Son of Man” designates Jesus as The Christ – The Messiah, but they questioned Jesus' use, since The Christ is not expected to ever die and yet Jesus states that He was, as the “Son of Man”, going to die.


  1. What are we to believe concerning Jesus as the “Son of Man”?

John 5:30-32 Romans 8:1-4

Hebrews 1:8-9 Revelation 19:11-16


First it is important to understand that Jesus and the Father are separate people, yet they are also one since each one is fully the one true God. Furthermore, it is imperative to understand that as the “Son of Man”, Jesus is fully human as well. This was required in order to properly and fully pay the penalty for sins. If Jesus had not been fully human, then His sacrifice would have been unable to properly pay the penalty for man's sin. The Son of Man had to “condemn sin in the flesh”. Since Jesus is the Son of Man, Jesus is the ultimate King and Judge who rules in righteousness.