Jon: If you read the New Testament, you will notice that the most common title people use to describe Jesus is "The Christ", that is "The Messiah".
Tim: But, surprisingly, Jesus almost never used that word to describe himself.
Instead, he called himself the "Son of Man".
Jon: The "Son of Man". What does that mean?
Tim: Well, the phrase comes from an important chapter in the book of Daniel in the Old Testament.
Daniel was an Israelite prisoner of war who was forced to live in the empire of Babylon
and work for the prideful, violent king who destroyed his home.
Jon: That sounds horrible!
Tim: While he was living and working in Babylon, Daniel had this crazy, prophetic dream.
Are you ready for it?
Jon: I am ready.
Tim: He saw four beasts crawling out of a dark sea.
Hybrid, monster-like animals, each scarier than the one before.
The fourth beast is so mutant there is nothing to compare it to.
It is violent leaving death and destruction in its wake.
Jon: What in the world is this about?
Tim: Well, he is told that these beasts symbolize violent, prideful kings and their empires.
Jon: Oh, like the one Daniel is enslaved to?
Tim: Yeah, these creatures might seem random to you but these images are developing an important biblical theme:
how humans are these remarkable creatures capable of doing great good and horrible evil.
Jon: How we can behave like animals.
Tim: Right. Look at the first pages of the Bible.
God creates the beasts of the field and humans together, all from the dust.
But then, the humans are set apart and given a royal task of being God's image.
Jon: So, humans are like the animals but called to become much more.
Tim: Yeah, they are to be God's representatives on earth, ruling on his behalf like kings and queens.
But, keep reading and the humans are deceived by a beast who says: that they could be more than just God's partners.
Jon: Yeah, that they could rule the world on their own terms, which sounds good to them.
Tim: But God knows this will be a disaster.
And so, he expels the humans to the realm of the beasts.
Jon: The partnership is lost.
Tim: But God makes a promise that one day a human will be born who won't give in to the beast.
Rather, he will overcome and strike the while being struck by it.
Jon: Okay. So, for the rest of the biblical story we are waiting for that human.
But instead, in story after story we find people acting like beasts.
Tim: Yeah, like in the next story about Cain who is jealous and angry at his brother, Abel.
God warns Cain that he is facing a beastly urge called "sin", a dark mysterious kind of evil that consumes humans.
But God says that Cain can rule the beast, if he chooses.
Jon: But he doesn't rule the beast.
He lets this urge devour him and he becomes the beast.
Tim: After this, Cain's children spread their animal-like violence.
It leads to the founding of a whole civilization known for its beastly pride: the City of Babylon.
Jon: Okay Babylon. So fast-forward,
this is where Daniel is enslaved having this bizarre dream.
Tim: Exactly. Now, watch what happens next in Daniel's dream.
He sees into God's throne room where a court is set up and God condemns the beast to destruction.
Jon: That's great!
Tim: And then, Daniel sees that there is actually more than one divine throne.
Jon: Oh, right, the throne that humanity left behind.
Tim: Right. There has not been a human who is able to overcome the beast and rule alongside God, until now.
Daniel sees a figure called "The Son of Man", which means "a human".
He rides on a cloud up into God's presence and then sits down on the divine throne to rule the world.
Jon: The partnership is renewed.
Tim: Yes, and even more.
All humanity worships and serves this Son of Man, alongside God.
Jon: Oh, worship?
So, this is no ordinary human.
This is like a God-human.
Tim: Exactly.
So, now you can see why Jesus of Nazareth, when he came onto the scene centuries later,
chose this title, "The Son of Man," for himself.
He was claiming to be that truly human one on a mission to confront the beast.
Jon: He was tempted to seize power on the beast's terms.
Tim: But, unlike every human before him, Jesus resisted the urge.
And then, he went about banishing the beast from people's lives.
And he was teaching people how to rule the beast, instead of being ruled by it.
Jon: Okay. So, how do you rule the beast?
Tim: Well, Jesus did it by giving up his life.
Jon: Wait. Rule the beast by dying?
Tim: Yes, when Jesus was on trial in a human courtroom and being condemned to death, he said,
"From this moment on, you will see the Son of Man sitting at God's right hand and coming on the clouds."
Jon: But this is the moment he is about to die?
Tim: Exactly.
From one perspective, the cross looks like a beastly torture device.
But Jesus viewed it as his throne.
On this throne, he exposed the subhuman nature of our evil by letting it do its worst.
Then he overcame it with his divine life and love.
Jesus' execution was his exaltation.
Jon: So, Jesus is the first human to overcome the beast.
As a result, he can partner with God to rule the world
Tim: And so, now Jesus is summoning a new humanity into existence,
one that can overcome the beast in the same paradoxical way.
Jon: To rule the beast by dying.
Tim: And then by discovering that Jesus' life and power can become our life and power.
So, we can rule the world as God's partners, but Jesus-style:
in the power of service, humility and self-giving love.