Jesus Christ's preferred title for himself. The term points to the humanity and servanthood of Christ, but also reflects Daniel's vision of the son of man as a coming figure of judgment and authority.
Jesus Christ as the Son of Man in his human nature
OT use of son of man'' to meanhuman being''
Numbers 23:19 See also Job 25:6, Job 35:8; Psalm 8:4, Psalm 80:17, Psalm 144:3
God is not a man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?
Jesus Christ describes himself as Son of Man to stress his humanity
Matthew 8:20 parallel Luke 9:58 See also Matthew 11:19 parallel Luke 7:34; Matthew 16:13, Matthew 16:15; Luke 6:22; John 9:35
Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.”
Blasphemy against the Son of Man is forgivable
Matthew 12:32 See also Luke 12:10
Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the one to come.
Jesus Christ as the Son of Man in his prophetic ministry
The OT use of ``son of man'' as a title for Ezekiel
Jesus Christ preaches God's word
He replied, “The One who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed represents the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. As the weeds are collected and burned in the fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will weed out of His kingdom every cause of sin and all who practice lawlessness. And they will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.
Jesus Christ offers the words of eternal life
John 6:27 See also John 6:53, John 6:63, John 6:68
Do not work for food that perishes, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on Him God the Father has placed His seal of approval.”
Jesus Christ as the Son of Man in his suffering and death
Jesus Christ as a servant
Matthew 20:28 parallel Mark 10:45
just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”
Jesus Christ came to suffer, die and be raised
Luke 24:6–7 See also Matthew 12:40 parallel Luke 11:30 the sign of Jonah; Matthew 17:9 parallel Mark 9:9 the transfigurationMatthew 17:22–23 parallels Mark 9:31, Luke 9:44; Matthew 20:18 parallels Mark 10:33, Luke 18:31; Matthew 26:24 parallels Mark 14:21, Luke 22:22; Mark 8:31 parallel Luke 9:22; John 3:14, John 12:23, John 13:31
He is not here; He has risen! Remember how He told you while He was still in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.’ ”
Jesus Christ as the Son of Man in his authority and dominion
The vision of the son of man
Daniel 7:13–14 This passage provides the main OT background to Jesus Christ's understanding of himself as the “Son of Man”. His main uses of the title emphasise his dominion and authority, and also paradoxically that this glory will be attained through the humiliation of the cross.
In my vision in the night I continued to watch, and I saw One like the Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into His presence. And He was given dominion, glory, and kingship, that the people of every nation and language should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
Son of man meaning ``son of Adam''
Genesis 1:26 Jesus Christ as Son of Man (in the Hebrew “son of Adam”) inherits the promise originally given to Adam of dominion over creation, which Adam forfeited because of his fall into sin. See also Romans 5:14; 1 Corinthians 15:45; Hebrews 2:6–9; Psalm 8:4–6
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness, to rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, and over all the earth itself and every creature that crawls upon it.”
Jesus Christ had authority on earth
Matthew 9:6 parallels Mark 2:10, Luke 5:24 Authority to forgive sins. See also Matthew 12:8 parallels Mark 2:28, Luke 6:5 authority over the Sabbath
But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins...” Then He said to the paralytic, “Get up, pick up your mat, and go home.”
Jesus Christ is now ascended into glory
Acts 7:55–56 See also Revelation 1:13, Revelation 14:14
But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked intently into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
Jesus Christ will come to judge and reign over all
Matthew 16:27–28 parallels Mark 8:38, Luke 9:26 See also Matthew 10:23, Matthew 24:30 parallels Mark 13:26, Luke 21:27 the second coming; Matthew 24:44 parallel Luke 12:40 the day and hour unknown; Matthew 26:64 parallels Mark 14:62, Luke 22:69 Jesus Christ before the Sanhedrin; Luke 18:8, Luke 21:36; John 5:27
For the Son of Man will come in His Father’s glory with His angels, and then He will repay each one according to what he has done. Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”
Related themes
Dictionary of Bible Themes © 1999 Martin Manser, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Bible Aquifer. Formatted for this site, with Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible.