In today’s video, I’ll answer your question, What does it mean that Jesus is the Son of
Man?
Then afterwards, as always, I’ll share some helpful resources, so stick around until the
end.
Jesus is referred to as the “Son of Man” 82 times in the New Testament . In fact, Son
of Man is the primary title Jesus used when referring to Himself.
The only use of Son of Man in a clear reference to Jesus, spoken by someone other than Jesus,
came from the lips of Stephen as he was being martyred.
Son of Man is a title of humanity.
Other titles for Christ, such as Son of God, are overt in their focus on His deity.
Son of Man, in contrast, focuses on the humanity of Christ.
God called the prophet Ezekiel “son of man” 93 times.
In this way, God was simply calling Ezekiel a human being.
Son of man is simply a periphrastic term for “human.”
Jesus Christ was truly a human being.
He came “in the flesh” (1 John 4:2).
Son of Man is a title of humility.
The Second Person of the Trinity, eternal in nature, left heaven’s glory and took
on human flesh, becoming the Son of Man, born in a manger and “despised and rejected by
mankind” (Isaiah 53:3).
The Son of Man had “no place to lay his head” (Luke 9:58).
The Son of Man ate and drank with sinners.
The Son of Man suffered at the hands of men.
This intentional lowering of His status from King of Heaven to Son of Man is the epitome
of humility.
Son of Man is a title of deity.
Ezekiel may have been a son of man, but Jesus is the Son of Man.
As such, Jesus is the supreme example of all that God intended mankind to be, the embodiment
of truth and grace.
In Him “all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form” (Colossians 2:9).
For this reason, the Son of Man was able to forgive sins.
The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.
The Son of Man came to save lives, rise from the dead (Mark 9:9), and execute judgment.
At His trial before the high priest, Jesus said, “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” (Matthew 26:64).
This statement immediately ended the trial, as the court accused the Lord of blasphemy
and condemned Him to death.
Son of Man is a fulfillment of prophecy.
Jesus’ claim before the high priest to be the Son of Man was a reference to the prophecy
of Daniel 7:13–14, “I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the
Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven!
He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before Him.
Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and
languages should serve Him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one
Which shall not be destroyed.”
Daniel saw glory, worship, and an everlasting kingdom given to the Messiah—here called
the “Son of Man”—and Jesus applied this prophecy to Himself.
Jesus also spoke of His coming kingdom on other occasions.
The author of Hebrews used a reference to the “son of man” in the Psalms to teach
that Jesus, the true Son of Man, will be the ruler of all things (Hebrews 2:5–9).
The Son of Man, in fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy, will be the King.
Jesus was fully God, but He was also fully human.
As the Son of God and the Son of Man, He is deserving of both titles.
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