Why Does Jesus Call Himself the “Son of Man”?
Jesus’s Humanity and Divinity
Jesus, interestingly, never refers to himself as the Son of God. Other people mention him in those terms, but his favorite self-designation is actually Son of Man. And I think that is largely because Jesus is moving along the passageway of his life in light of all that God the Father has planned for him.
Jesus, therefore, knows that when Daniel has this encounter with the outer-dimensional world and he sees into the throne room of heaven, he says, “And I saw one like a Son of Man.” He was going to come and fulfill the role of a judge.
Name above All Names
Alistair Begg, Sinclair B. Ferguson
Jesus is the most important person in the life of the Christian. In this stimulating book, Begg and Ferguson explore the Bible’s teaching on 7 key attributes of Jesus’s life and ministry, from Genesis to Revelation.
Jesus, interestingly, uses it in the healing of the fellow who was brought by his friends on the bed. The people say to him, “This man is blaspheming. Who can forgive sins but God alone?” And he says to them, “Well, just so that you know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins, I’m going to say to this fellow, ‘Take up your bed and walk.’”
So it speaks to the reality of who he is in his humanity, but it speaks more significantly to the fact of his divinity—that he is the anointed of God. He is God.
Alistair Begg is the author with Sinclair Ferguson of Name above All Names.
Related Articles
10 Key Bible Verses on the Humanity of Jesus
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
The Son of Man Came Eating and Drinking
The meals of Jesus represent something bigger. They represent a new world, a new kingdom, a new outlook. But they give that new reality substance.
3 Reasons Christ Must Remain Human for Us: Learning from Calvin and Owen
By focusing so much on Christ’s work in the past, we may ignore the significance of what Christ is doing in the present. Here are three reasons that we should study Christ’s present work.
Has Our Society Lost Its Vision of What It Means to Be Human?
These moral universes are irreconcilable. They’re impenetrable. We are unable to reason together on even the most basic essentials necessary for the common good.
$5 Book of the Month
$5 Book of the Month