Who do you say that I am?
Son of Man and son of man
Theme Verse: "Who do you say that I am?" Matthew 16:15
Readings: Psalm 144:3, John 3:13-18, Matthew 25:31-32, Matthew 12:8, Matthew 16:13-17, Acts 7:54-56, Daniel 7:9-14
Memory Verse: But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to 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." (Acts 7:55-56) (Pre-K to grade 3)
Introduction This lesson focuses on the terms "Son of Man" and "son of man" as used in the Bible. But sometimes we are confused because people now use "Son of Man" and "Son of God" to refer simply to Jesus' human nature and his nature as God, one of the Trinity, that is One God in three and Three in One, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Recently, at an ordination we sang a hymn about Jesus as "Son of God and Son of Man" three times. This has become a short-hand way of expressing our faith about who Jesus is but we need to understand the basic ways these terms are used in the Bible. [We will study "Son of God" later.]
First, Jesus' humanity: John's gospel begins by telling us that Jesus, God's Word, "in the beginning was with God and was God" and "The Word was made flesh and lived among us" (John1: 1-4, 14). (Because God is a Spirit he can be and is everywhere.) Matthew and Luke tell us how: that Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary of the descendents of David in his human nature. God did this by fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah about a virgin conceiving and giving birth to a son by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Given all the pagan stories about their gods and women and the ideas people like Muslims have about what we believe, it is important to say Jesus was not a son of God in a physical way. He always was, is, and will be one-in-being with the Father.) He was "tempted as we are, yet without sin" (Hebrews 4:15). He knows all our problems and joys because he experienced it all. "He ever lives to make intercession for us." (Hebrews 7:25). The creeds emphasize his real human death by saying "crucified, died and was buried" before they talk of his resurrection. Because Jesus was both true man and true God he could represent us because he was true man and he could save us because he was true God as the Lamb of God on the cross. He was a refugee baby. "He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering." (Isaiah 53:3)
Ways "son" is used in the Bible The first way is the way we use it, as a biological male child, as in "sons of Zebedee". (We still have traces of this in last names like "John/son".) Jesus was the physical son of Mary. In the Bible "son" can also refer to either male or female, just as the word "man" can refer to a male or any person or all people, as in "mankind". It has only been in the last couple of generations that English speakers insist on saying "child" or "people", "sons and daughters" instead of just "son". It does make clear that women are included but we miss a lot of the idioms and connections in the Bible. There are many times when "son of man" (small "s") means simply a human being. Examples: "O Lord, what is man that you care for him, or the son of man that you think of him". (Psalm 144:3) and "Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, who cannot save." (Psalm 146:3). God sometimes called Ezekiel "son of man" when he talked to him as in "son of man stand on your feet and I will speak to you." (Ezekiel 2:1)
Sometimes "sons" are descendents of a person as in "sons of Abraham" or "son of David". Sometimes it is used to describe a person's character as when Jesus called James and John "sons of thunder" when they were impulsive and angry and wanted to call down fire from heaven on some people. It described both character and relationship when Jesus called some leaders who wanted to kill him, "sons" of your father the Devil when they claimed to be sons of Abraham. (John 8:39). They were acting like the Devil, not Abraham.
The second major way "Son of Man" (capital letter "S") is used in the Bible refers to the prophetic vision in the book of Daniel (7:9-14). He is a heavenly figure that appears before the throne of God and looks like a "son of man" and was widely understood as a reference to the coming Messiah, who would receive an everlasting kingdom. "In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power...His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed." This was Jesus' favorite way to talk about himself.
One example is in Matthew 24 and 25 where Jesus' disciples ask him about his coming again at the "end of the age". "At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory." (Matthew 24:30. This will be the time of the judgment of the world. "When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him." (Matthew 25:31-32). This is clearly the picture of a heavenly king who has authority to rule and judge, not only on earth but in heaven. (Remember the vision also talked of one LIKE a Son on Man.) This king looks like a human being.
Jesus is BOTH---the real human being like ourselves and also the heavenly Son of Man who is King and Judge. What does this mean to you? (We are not even talking yet about what the title "Son of God" means)
In Jesus' dispute with some of the religious leaders about what was lawful on the Sabbath because Jesus' disciples were picking in eating heads of grain in the field, he points to God's original purpose in making the Sabbath special and states his own authority "For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath" (Matthew 12:8 ) Later Jesus criticizes them for trying to stop him from healing on the Sabbath.
Look at John 3:13-18 where Jesus is talking to Nicodemus who came secretly by night to talk to him. "No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven, the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (Notice that Jesus uses BOTH titles here---Son of Man and Son of God.) Here is both a picture of the heavenly figure come to rule and a human being who will be "lifted up"-crucified- to give new life to those who believe and also has a unique relationship with God the Father as "Son" (not a physical son.).
We get the same contrast in the verse: "The Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head" (Matthew 8:20). When Jesus took on our human nature to save us, ("Jesus" (Hebrew "Yesh-u-a") means Yahweh saves.) he lived the life of a simple ordinary man, a traveling teacher (rabbi) who was born in a stable not a palace and had no permanent home. This was not what the people expected the Messiah to look like. In Matthew 11:16-19, Jesus, still using the kingly, messianic title rebukes some of those who criticized both him and John the Baptist because he and John did not "dance to their tune". John did not dress or eat like other people and Jesus often ate with people who were known "sinners". God had a variety of ways of speaking to people's hearts that did not fit the religious leaders' boxes. Jesus' use of the kingly, messianic title requires us to make a choice---do we try to make him "dance to our tune" or do we obey him and his priorities?
Our theme verse (Matthew 16:13-17) emphasizes both of Jesus' natures. Jesus asks, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" When Jesus shifts the question to
"Who do you say I am", Peter says, "You are the Christ (Messiah), the Son of the Living God". (Messiah would represent a king who was David's descendent) Jesus tells him that God the Father has revealed this to him. Jesus is even more than a heavenly king, who looks like, and is, a human being, but he also has a unique relationship with the Living God. The disciples didn't really get the picture until after the Holy Spirit was poured out on them.
Another interesting vision of who Jesus is was given to Deacon Stephen as he was being martyred and saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God (Acts 7:54-56).
Here are some Words that the Lord gave the teachers as they prayed about this lesson. What is the Lord saying to you through them?
"Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come." (Matthew 12:32) A word received: I came as a Son of Man so that men would know the love of my father. I came in human flesh so that I could be known. I send my Spirit into people so that they can know me and my father. I came as a son so that men and women and children could know my father and his love for them.
"Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit." (Matthew 12:33) A word received: I came to place myself in a position where you could know me. I made that choice to be vulnerable so that you could know my love for you and my father's love for you.
"Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." (Matthew 12:34) A word received: I want you to test the words that you hear by knowing my words. I want you to recognize how the words you hear line up with my words.
"Thus He showed me: behold, the Lord stood on a wall made with a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand. And the Lord said to me, 'Amos, what do you see?' And I said, 'A plumb line.' Then the Lord said: 'Behold, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel; I will not pass by them anymore.'" (Amos 7:7-8 ) A word received: I am holding up a plumb line for all to see: it is my word in Scripture. I want you to inspect the words of people by checking them against that plumb line.
"A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things." (Matthew 12:35) A word received: I want you to be like Mary: Mary treasured all that I had done in her heart. I want your heart to overflow with such treasure. (Luke 2:51)
"But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." (Matthew 12:36-37) A word received: Your heart gives its testimony through the words that come from your mouth. I want you to consider the words you speak. Is your "Yes, Yes" and your "No, No"? Are your words lining up with my plumb line or are they a tottering wall that will collapse? I love you; return to me. (Matthew 5:37)
Summary for Children
Jesus was born, lived and died as a human being. He came to earth to reveal God the Father to us and to give his life as a payment the penalty for our sins. Before Jesus became a man he always was one God with God the Father. So Jesus is really man and really God at the same time.
When the Bible talks about sons it can mean a biological son or daughter -- like us -- or it can mean someone has the character/behavior of another like Jesus calling James and John "Sons of Thunder". Sometimes "son of man" just meant the person was a human being.
"Son of Man" comes from a vision Daniel had of a person in heaven who looked like us but was given an ever-lasting kingdom by God and would someday come to earth on the clouds with angels. Think about the song "Lo, he comes with clouds descending..." (We say in church, "Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.") Jesus often calls himself "Son of Man" like this.
Are we ready to follow Jesus as our King forever and do what pleases him?
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