Jesus Christ: Son of Man

Quick Overview

This study answers the claim that Jesus never called Himself God. It points to the fact that Jesus most often used the title Son of Man, not to downplay divinity but to reveal authority over forgiveness and final judgment. Drawing on passages where Jesus forgives sins, actions reserved for God, the article shows how Jesus’ self‑designation points to Daniel’s vision of a divine figure receiving dominion. By situating the title in its Jewish and apocalyptic context, it demonstrates that the Son of Man is both the humble servant and the exalted ruler.

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For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost. Luke 19:6

Jesus never said that He is God and that He should receive our worship, or at least, that is what many modern skeptics claim. A common assertion made about Jesus is that He never said He is God, but the Son of God. Interestingly enough, what many seem to overlook is that Jesus refers to Himself as the “Son of Man” throughout Scripture far more frequently. To the average atheistic Western ear, this title may sound strange or unfamiliar. However, the Jewish reader will likely be familiar with the term. One way this term is used in the Old Testament is found in the book of Ezekiel, where God oftentimes calls the prophet בֶּן אָדָם (Ben Adam), meaning “son of man” or “son of (a) human” (e.g. Ezek 2:1; Ezek 3:1). In this way, God was appealing to nothing more than Ezekiel’s humanity. Since this is the title Jesus frequently used to describe Himself, some might argue it actually weakens the claim of His divinity. The problem with this is that Jesus used this title more profoundly when He said things like “…the Son of Man is going to come with His angels in the glory of His Father, and then He will reward each according to what he has done” [Matt 16:27]. This one statement gives the Son of Man of Jesus attributes that logically should not be attributed to a common human being. So why was this the term Jesus used to describe Himself, and what does it tell us about His identity?

Scripture in Context

What a timeless book like the Bible could make us forget is that, although its message still applies to us today, it was revealed in a cultural and religious context that many of us today are not entirely familiar with. Jesus’ audience was first-century Jews under Roman rule. Although all had to submit to the emperor, Jews could generally exercise their religious practices and beliefs, as long as they did not cause any tumult. This is why Jewish thought and practices were very much kept alive by Jewish sects like the Pharisees, of whom we read several times in Scripture. According to Jewish historian Josephus, “Pharisees are those who are esteemed most skillful in the exact explication of their laws.”¹ What we learn from the Gospels is that those associated with this sect put much effort into sharing and keeping the Jewish laws and traditions that evolved over the years. Although they opposed Jesus during His time on earth, they largely contribute to our understanding of who Jesus said He was. One time, Jesus was invited by a Pharisee named Simon to eat at his house. A woman in the same town, who was described to be a sinner, “…brought an alabaster jar of fragrant oil and stood behind Him at His feet, weeping, and began to wash His feet with her tears. She wiped His feet with the hair of her head, kissing them and anointing them with the fragrant oil” [Luke 7:37–38]. Although Simon despised this, Jesus told her, “…your sins are forgiven” [Luke 7:48]. This is the same thing Jesus told the paralytic who was brought to Him in Mark 2:5. In both instances, the Pharisees and the scribes were shocked by the fact that this man would forgive sins, saying “...who is this man who even forgives sins?” [Luke 7:49] and “why does He speak like this? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” [Mark 2:7]. Jesus’ response:

…so you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins. Mark 2:10

Clearly, Jesus was not referring to Himself as merely a man. He gave Himself divine attributes, and those familiar with the Jewish scriptures knew it.

Daniel’s Son of Man

The scribes and Pharisees were not simply offended by a confused man making extraordinary claims. They called Jesus a “blasphemer,” someone who claims to be equal to God, and this was not only because He forgave sins. The most profound appearance of a “son of man” in the Old Testament is found in the book of Daniel. In his book, we see how Daniel receives several visions from God, many of which relate to the end times. In one of his visions, he sees how “…thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took His seat” [Dan 7:9].

I continued watching in the night visions, and I saw One like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was escorted before Him. He was given authority to rule, and glory, and a kingdom; so that those of every people, nation, and language should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will not be destroyed. Daniel 7:13-14

Daniel saw a vision of someone who looked like a בַּר אֱנָשׁ (bar ʾĕnāš), Aramaic for “son of (mortal) man,” generally used to refer to a human being. However, this man was given attributes of a god. He was able to approach the Ancient of Days, and all nations were called to serve Him. The terminology used in this passage, “…led to much Jewish speculation about who could sit on a heavenly throne in judgment next to Yahweh,”² which is understandable, considering Judaism’s strict monotheistic beliefs. Many have attempted to figure out the meaning of this vision. Some have tried to argue that the son of man in this picture is referring to faithful Israel³, given the fact that when this vision is explained to Daniel, he is told that “…the holy ones of the Most High will receive the kingdom and possess it forever…” [Dan 7:18]. However, the Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament rightly points out that “…eternal reception and possession of God’s kingly reign are not the same as universal sovereignty and dominion over every person on earth. Verse 27 speaks of the grandeur of other kingdoms being handed over to these same saints, but worship and obedience are nevertheless reserved for God.”⁴ For this reason, “…the individual messianic view of Dan. 7:13–14 prevails throughout early rabbinic literature…it is the majority perspective in Judaism well into the medieval period. The 'collective interpretation,' in which the Son of Man is merely Israel, is not clearly attested in Judaism until the Middle Ages…”⁵

Messianic Expectations

This brings us back to the audience Jesus was speaking to. The Talmud confirms the view that this vision is Messianic when Rabbi Alexandri points out that “if the Jewish people merit redemption, the Messiah will come in a miraculous manner with the clouds of heaven…”⁶ Although this is not to be taken as a correct interpretation of Scripture, and this text was likely written well after Jesus walked the earth, it depicts a general Jewish interpretation of Daniel’s vision. Jewish religious literature, like the Psalms of Solomon, written in the mid-first century BC, gives us an idea of Messianic expectations around Jesus’ time. In this text, the writer asks God, concerning Israel, “…to raise up unto them their king, the son of David, at the time in the which Thou seest, O God, that he may reign over Israel Thy servant.”⁷ This Messianic figure was expected to be a king who would “…judge the tribes of the people that has been sanctified by the Lord his God,” “…shatter unrighteous rulers…” and “…be pure from sin, so that he may rule a great people.”⁸ Judging by the context, these words arise from a desire for God to act in a moment when righteousness was absent and the nation was under the rule of pagan Gentiles. Another significant expectation is presented in the latter part of The Book of Enoch, commonly referred to as The Book of Parables. In this work, the writer speaks of a time where the “…Son of Man was named in the presence of the Lord of Spirits, and his name before the Head of Days.”⁹ This Son of Man was named “…before the stars of the heaven were made…”¹⁰ and “all who dwell on earth shall fall down and worship before him, And will praise and bless and celebrate with song the Lord of Spirits. And for this reason hath he been chosen and hidden before Him, before the creation of the world and for evermore.”¹¹ In these books, we find an expectation of the Messiah as a Davidic king and a divine Son of Man who is considered to be equal to God. What ought to be considered when consulting these texts is that they are both pseudepigraphic, meaning they were falsely attributed to the author named in their titles. In addition to that, modern scholarship has not been able to find a consensus on the dating of The Book of Parables. Most suggest that this section was added later since “the BP is the only section of 1 Enoch which is not represented in the Aramaic fragments from Qumran.”¹² Many contemporary scholars have “…argued that they date from before A.D. 70”¹³ while others argue that “the absence of any fragments of the Parables amongst the discoveries at Qumran makes it very unlikely that the Parables are…from the period before A.D. 68.”¹⁴ However, the most important thing here is that “…the evidence for the view that the Parables are a Jewish, rather than a Christian, composition is overwhelming.”¹⁵

The Message of the Son of Man

All things considered, perhaps the greatest evidence that Jesus was actively spreading the message that He is this Son of Man from Daniel is found when the high priest urges Him by saying, “…tell us if You are the Messiah, the Son of God!” [Matt 26:63].

“You have said it,” Jesus told him. “But I tell you, in the future you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Matthew 26:64

This terminology is clearly taken from Daniel’s prophecy (cf. Matt 24:30–31). As a response to this, “the high priest tore his robes and said, ‘He has blasphemed! Why do we still need witnesses? Look, now you’ve heard the blasphemy! What is your decision?’ They answered, ‘He deserves death!’” [Matt 26:65–66]. So, has Jesus spoken the words “I am God, worship me!”? Most likely not, for “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life—a ransom for many” [Matt 20:28] and He "...did not consider equality with God as something to be used for His own advantage" [Phil 2:6]. What He did do was assert that He was worthy to forgive sins, approach the Ancient of Days, sit with Him on the throne, receive glory and a kingdom that would last forever. In the ears of His contemporaries, He claimed to be the One who would one day be the judge of mankind, and for that He was crucified.

Footnotes

1. Josephus, Wars of the Jews 2.8.162

2. Craig L. Blomberg, “Matthew,” in Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI; Nottingham, UK: Baker Academic; Apollos, 2007), 88.

3. Ibid., 89.

4. Ibid.

5. Ibid.

6. Sefaria. “Sanhedrin 98a:13.” https://www.sefaria.org/Sanhedrin.98a.13?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en.

7. “Psalms of Solomon 17,” The Forgotten Books of Eden, Sacred Texts, https://sacred-texts.com/bib/fbe/fbe193.htm.

8. Ibid.

9. R. H. Charles, trans., The Book of Enoch (Oxford: Clarendon, 1912), chap. 48, verse 2, https://www.ccel.org/c/charles/otpseudepig/enoch/ENOCH_2.HTM.

10. Ibid., verse 3.

11. Ibid., verse 5-6.

12. Jonathan Ben-Dov and Eshbal Ratzon, “The Oath and the Name in 1 Enoch 69,” JSS 60.1 (2015): 29.

13. M. A. Knibb, “The Date of the Parables of Enoch: A Critical Review,” New Testament Studies 25, no. 3 (1979): 345.

14. Ibid., 348.

15. Ibid., 350.

Bible translation: The Holy Bible: Holman Christian Standard Version.* (Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 2009).