The Son of Man and God

The Son of Man and God

            The debate on the position of Jesus in the Christian religion remains a mystery. Different groups appear to differ concerning whether Jesus is the son of man, son of God, or both. The belief by Christians is that Jesus was the begotten son of God and that he existed even before the earth was made. Also, Christians believe that Jesus only took a human body upon coming to the earth in a bid to act as a mediator between humankind and God due to the mishap that had happened at the Garden of Eden when the devil deceived humankind into disobeying God. Several groups including theologians, however, claim that Jesus was a normal human being given special religious powers by God and could only be defined as a particular prophet. A different explanation is however provided by the Council of Nicaea, which shares the belief that Jesus was not created, but existed from all eternity with God the Father. Based on the belief that God also created time, the council claims that there is no specific time in which Jesus did not exist since being God. He existed since eternity. The titles ‘son of man’ and ‘son of God’ both refers to Jesus and their interpretation is similar.

Jesus as a Son of God

According to the Christian scriptures, Jesus was the third being of God’s trinity sent to the earth to save humankind from the devil’s kingdom. After the significant split up between God and Satan, it is believed that Satan was cast into the earth where he established his kingdom of darkness. The kingdom of Satan was believed was believed to be based on deception and humankind required the intervention of God to overcome Satan’s rule. According to Moltmann (p. 34) Jesus was God, and the crucifixion was a sign of father-son agreement towards a common goal that was to save humankind. The history of Christian presents the use of the name son of God as a phrase to represent the people closer to God. In the Bible, the title is bequeathed on different persons for a range of reasons and as such Jesus would have chosen to seek a closer relationship with God which would have earned him the name son of God. The name son of God does not appear in the New Testament. The scriptures in the book of Genesis 6:1-4 give evidence that there were sons of God and maybe Jesus was one of the sons of God. The name was also used to represent kings and Jesus as explained by the scriptures was the king of Judah. According to Jones (p. 54), Jesus was a son of God who was given the freedom to follow his fate.

In the New Testament, Jesus was also presented as the son of God on several occasions. In the Gospel of Matthew for example, God spoke to John saying, “This is my beloved son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to him” (Matthew 17:5). The title was also used by Angel Gabriel when announcing the birth of Jesus: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason, the holy child shall be called the Son of God (Luke 1:35)”. Peter Jesus asked the disciple of Jesus about his understanding about Jesus, and the response was that he recognized Jesus as the Son of God: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:17).  While casting out demons, the evil spirits recognized Jesus as the Son of God:”’What have we to do with you, Jesus, you Son of God?” (Matthew 8:29).  Before his death, Jesus recognized himself as the son of God and even prayed in the name of his father, God.

Jesus as a Son of Man

In the Old Testament of the scriptures, the phrase ‘Son of Man’ is used as a poetical substitute for man.  Ezekiel the prophet was called the son of man by God saying, “Son of Man, stand up on your feet and I will speak to you” (Ezekiel 2:1).  In the book of Daniel, the phrase Son of Man is used in one of his dreams in which he saw ‘one like the son of man’ coming from the clouds and appearing before the throne of God. The book of Psalms states, ‘Let your hand be upon the man of your right hand: and upon the son of man whom you have confirmed for yourself’ (Psalms 80:17). According to Marcus (p. 54), Jesus’ speeches were full of the mentioning of the son of man. Jesus used an exclusive way of evaluating and construing his ministry and life by referring to himself as the son of man. By using the phrase Son of man, Jesus expresses the yearning to identify Himself as a prophet like Ezekiel when he speaks about the demolition of the temple and Jerusalem renovation of the Kingdom of Israel. However, he also highlights the fact that He was born from a woman and shared the qualities of a human (Beckstrom, p. 76). References to the use of the title ‘Son of Man’ can be placed in three categories: Jesus’ earthly duty, (Mark 2:10, 28) Jesus’ passion (Mark 8:31; 9:9, 12, and 31) and His second coming (Mark 8:38; 13:26, 34; 14:62).  Jesus claimed that the son of man had the power to forgive sin and thus was not referring to the son of a common man. Also, Jesus had the power over the Law of Moses and was not limited by the law of keeping the Sabbath from healing a sick person (Mark 2:28). Because he was challenged quite often by the scribes, Jesus could have used the title ‘Sons of man’ sayings deliberately to evoke His authority.

Jesus’ Understanding of the Titles

Several scholars argue that Jesus used the titles ‘son of man’ and ‘son of God’ as a means of self-defense against the harsh religious criticism that was directed towards his ministry. Lu et al (p. 7) state that in Mark, of the fourteen mentions of ‘Son of man,’ eight of them referred to Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection (Mark 8:31; 9:9, 12, 31; 10:33, 45, 41). The mentions were made by Jesus and were self-reference. As a man, Jesus could test death since he would do that like God. Because Jesus knew that His life, death, and resurrection were for the good of all humankind, He submitted to the will of God, his father. Jesus used the term Son of man to make sense of his trust in God, His father (Angel, p. 24). The term Son of man was also used about the second coming and the end of time (Mark 13:24). In Mark 8:38 Jesus warns that those who are ashamed of him and his words will find that the Son of man is ashamed of them when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. By becoming a man, Jesus did not lose his position in God’s kingdom; instead, His incarnation added his humanity. Jesus proclaimed to be God on many occurrences (Matthew 16:16, 17; John 8:58; 10:30). Equally, Jesus was also human (Philippians 2:6-8). Therefore, Jesus understood Himself as having two natures (divine and human) adjoined in one person. Also, when questioned by the high priest whether He was the ‘Son of God’, Jesus answered with confidence that He was the ‘Son of Man’ who would come in power and great glory (Matthew 26:64). Jesus understood the term ‘Son of Man’ to stipulate His divinity as the Son of God.

Conclusion

Based on the evidence provided, Jesus believed that He is the Son of God, used by his father and given the authority to rule God’s Kingdom on Earth. Jesus’ authority is demonstrated by His power and miracles performed.  The Son of man is a divine person, given the power to defeat evil and to create peace throughout the Earth. Jesus represents God’s kingdom on Earth, so He has extraordinary powers and capabilities to prove what God’s kingdom is like. Jesus revealed powerful performances of miracles and healings. For example, on the raging Sea of Galilee, Jesus calmed the winds, and His disciples bowed down to worship Him saying, ‘Of a truth [you are] the Son of God’(Matthew14:33). When Jesus was preaching to His disciples about his uniqueness, He asks: ‘Who do men say that I the Son of man am?’ (Matthew 16:13). His conclusion, Jesus says, ‘For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; then he shall reward every man according to his works. Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom (Matthew 16:27-29). Jesus explains His heavenly characteristics that are represented by the title Son of man. Jesus speaks of Himself in His imminent, adored, and endowed Second Coming.

The titles ‘son of man’ and ‘son of God’ could be used interchangeably to refer to Jesus. However, the evidence that there are several sons of God, Jesus used the title ‘son of man’ to differentiate himself from the other sons of God and to make it clear that He was the begotten son of God. Also, the title ‘son of man’ could have gotten the title from the fact that he was the son of God who had agreed to come to the aid of humankind. Jesus clearly understood Himself to be the ‘Son of man’ who came to earth to bring peace by conquering the world of wickedness. However, the Son of man was not a violent, conquering hero but a wise ruler who led by giving grace. He is also the humble Son of God who can heal. Jesus used one title when speaking about himself but acknowledged the other title. Therefore, with the evidence provided, I truly believe that Jesus saw Himself as both Son of God and Son of Man.

References

Angel, Andrew. ” “The Son of Man: Jesus, Eschatology and Mission.” (2009): .” (2009): 3-4.

Beckstrom, Edward A. “”The Mystery of Jesus’ Teaching about “The Son of Man”.” Biblical        Theology Bulletin 42.2 .” (2012): 70-80.

Jones, T. ” Did God Kill Jesus. Searching for Love in History’s Most Famous Execution.”             (2015).

Lu, W., and Chen-jian Zlui. “Man.” H., Ju, W., Trimble, WS, MacDonald, JF, and Wang. “The     Man of God.” (2001): pp.243-254.

Marcus, Joel. “”Son of man as son of Adam.” Revue Biblique .” (2003): 38-61.

Moltmann, J. ” The crucified god. Theology Today, 31(1), .” ( 2015): pp.6-18.