The Son of Man

And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written,

“THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME,
BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR.
HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES,
AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND,
TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED,
TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD.”

And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
This past week the Spirit blessed the congregation of North Christian Church with two sermons on the celebration of Christmas. He had His teachers, myself on Christmas Eve and our evangelist two days later, remind those listening that Jesus is not only God incarnate, but He is also a human being. And as a man, in His incarnation, He was tempted, “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). Because of this second fact, we have a Messiah whom is someone we can, and ought to, relate to, personally.

It’s really comforting to know that the One who saves us is intimately familiar with what it means to be a man. Not only that, but He personally withstood suffering of the worst kind, all of it undeserved. He did this for us, even learning along the way.

Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation, being designated by God as a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.
The Christmas celebration is often condensed down to catchphrases, such as, “Jesus was born to die.” While this is true, the fullness of what it means for the Son of God to become the Son of Man and then die on the Cross for the sins of the world, demands much deeper consideration; so much so that I’m often intimidated at the prospect of having to stand behind my pulpit and teach on it. I mean, where does one even begin???

I guess one place to start is with the simple phrase “Son of Man”, a phrase that Jesus used predominantly to describe Himself, in light of the fact that “although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:6-7).

Have you ever wondered why Jesus used this title instead of ones that others were using? Jesus used this Messianic title (Daniel 7:13-14) eighty-three times in the four Gospels. He used it to emphasize His humanity and His humility. For example, the God-man said the following in the presence of His own subjects:

Jesus *said to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”
Dwell on that for a moment. Imagine rightfully standing in the throne room of Heaven as the Son of God, King of kings one day, and then being humiliated to the point where you look around and realize your subjects are living a more honored life than you (I speak from man’s perspective here). Imagine the temptations you’d face, personally, if all of this were true about you. How would you fare? Would you love the way He did, despite the shame, ridicule, and impending death? Would you consistently use a title for yourself that amplified your own humiliation? I doubt it.

Only Jesus, the humble One, was able to accept the humiliation He did. Only Jesus could’ve taught His disciples through the supreme example of humility.

“It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
Jesus called Himself the Son of Man because it suited His humiliation. While most men spend their entire lives wrangling for position as “king of the mountain”, Jesus gave us the perfect example of that which pleases our Father in Heaven. While the human flesh is murderous (Matthew 15:19), plotting and dreaming of the destruction of its enemies, God has revealed to us that true love motivates man to esteem others higher than self. God loves His Son for manifesting this for all to see.

“For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.”
So, as the Christmas “buzz” fades all around us and others shift back into high gear, chasing their “dreams” into a numb and everlasting oblivion, may we recall our Lord and Savior’s dignity, in light of His humility. Let us seek to understand why He chose to refer to Himself as the Son of Man, and remember that He chose His words wisely. And let us apprehend the uniqueness of His perspective.

May Jesus Christ, the Son of Man by His own accounting, in His humiliation, be our inspiration always.

Love in Christ,

Ed Collins