Matthew 18:11
Jesus, Son of Man
Woodlawn Baptist Church
December 2001
Introduction
Whether we were ready or not, Thanksgiving has come and gone, and we are now in those few weeks that will be spent in the mad rush of shopping and preparing for meals, for family, decorating, visiting, and so forth, all so that Christmas will be pulled off without a hitch.
As Christians everywhere begin to set their minds in that direction, the birth of our Savior automatically comes to mind, and we are reminded of it daily by the manger scenes, the commercials, and such things as those. We call this birth the incarnation, the fancy word for Jesus’ act of taking on humanity, yet remaining fully God. We don’t and can’t understand all we would like to about this act, but we accept by faith that God sent His only begotten Son, "who, being in the form of God … made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men…" so that we might be saved.
In our text this morning, Jesus makes reference to that purpose; "the Son of man came to seek and save that which was lost." We understand the purpose, but why does Jesus refer to Himself as "the Son of man"? This is an interesting title, and one that is used of Jesus over 80 times in the New Testament; but only 3 times is it used by someone other than Jesus. The other 82 times He uses it to speak of Himself.
This morning I want us to consider this title, "The Son of Man" and realize some important truths concerning Jesus’ use of it.
I. The title "Son of man" is a declaration of Jesus’ deity.
Read Daniel 7:13-14. In this prophecy, Daniel spoke clearly of One called the Son of man who would come before the Ancient of days, God that is, who would give to this Son of man dominion, and glory, and an eternal kingdom.
The Jews had been awaiting this One for hundreds of years, and we know from our study of Scripture that they were looking for a majestic king who would ride in and establish his kingdom, restoring Jerusalem and delivering them from the oppression of the Romans. We see this in the birth of Jesus. Those who came before Him presented Him with the gifts of a king, and they bowed to worship the babe. Herod was so afraid of this new king that he ordered the murders of a multitude of babies, trying to destroy the baby Jesus.
So when Jesus began referring to Himself as the Son of man, He was not just pulling a name out of thin air, He was declaring to all who listened that He was THE Son of man. He was the One who would come in the clouds. He was the One who would come before the Ancient of Days! He was the One to whom all dominion and glory and the eternal kingdom would be given! He was the King of kings and the Lord of lords!
This is why the words of Jesus were no empty threats to the Pharisees when He said things like He did in:
Mt. 13:41 – "The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity."
Mt. 16:27-28 – "For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works. Verily I say unto you, there be come standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom."
Mk. 13:26 – "And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory."
These statements incited the Pharisees to great anger and they wanted to kill Jesus because in calling Himself the Son of man, Jesus was identifying Himself as deity, God in the flesh. Look at Matthew 16:13-16. The Pharisees couldn’t get it, but Jesus wanted to make sure His disciples did. The same question needs to be answered by you today. "Who do you say that Jesus, the Son of man is?" "The Son of man came to seek and to save that which is lost." But if Jesus, the Son of man is not deity, if you cannot recognize that He is fully God, then you are just as condemned as the blind Pharisees.
The Word of God is really wonderful. This is an obscure little title that is so often overlooked; yet it is a powerful declaration of the deity of Christ.
II. The title "Son of man" is a declaration of Jesus’ humanity.
Jesus could have used any number of titles to affirm His deity, but this one in particular also identified His humanity. The word "man" is a direct reference to humanity at large, and is a fulfillment of the oldest and first promise in the Bible. God said to Satan in Genesis 3:15, "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."
Adam believed God’s promise and in Gen. 3:20 we find that "Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living." Eve believed God’s promise, for when she bore Cain, she said, "I have gotten a man from the Lord." She fully believed that he was the One to fulfill God’s promise, not understanding or knowing God’s timing in the matter.
Read Heb. 2:14-17 and discuss Jesus’ voluntary acceptance of humanity. As the son of man, there is no one that Jesus does not represent. Look all through the genealogies of Jesus. There is no pure Jew descent. He is tainted with all kinds of people. You look in those genealogies and you will find people of all races and colors, rich people, poor people, young and old, famous and not so famous. Wonderful saints, men and women of God. Liars, murderers, prostitutes, thieves, drunks, and all kinds of people.
When the Bible says that Jesus tasted death for every man, and when it says that He took on all the sins of humanity, He did so as the Son of man, representative of every kind of man or woman there ever was or would be. Jesus humanity was expressed in His possessing a human body. He was born just as all human babies are born (Lk. 2:7) He grew through childhood to adulthood just as other children grow (Lk. 2:40). Jesus became tired like we do (Jn. 4:6). He became thirsty like we do (Jn. 19:28). He got hungry like we do (Mt. 4:2). According to Hebrews, He "was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin." He died a physical death like we will, and He was physically resurrected like we will be one day.
His humanity was expressed in His possessing a human mind, and He had human feelings and emotions. The Bible tells us about Jesus learning and growing in wisdom. It tells us about Jesus crying, being angry, having fun, being troubled in spirit, He marveled, and was even sorrowful at times.
You can never make the claim that Jesus doesn’t understand you or doesn’t know what you are going through. He has been in your shoes, He has faced your temptations, He has walked in this troubled world, and all so that He could fully represent and identify with you.
So when you are tempted to think that no one understands, you remember that Jesus, the Son of man, knows who you are, has been where you are, cares for you and understands you. The circumstances may be colored a little different, but when you boil them all down, they are still the same.
III. The title "Son of man" identifies some specific duties.
As Jesus taught His disciples and challenged the Pharisees, He identified a number of things for which He as the son of man was responsible. The Son of man has power to forgive sins. The Son of man is the Lord of the Sabbath. The Son of man came to minister and serve man. The Son of man would give His life as a ransom for the lost.
There are a number of things that the Son of man came and did, but there are some things that He still has yet to fulfill. Jesus said that "as the days of Noah were, so shall be the coming of the Son of man." He went on to tell us, "be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man comes." Mark said that we "shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory." And Jesus said concerning that time, "Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels." He said, "Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God."
Matthew records that "The Son of man shall [then] send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity." Listen, in a time when believers and unbelievers alike are prone to think only on the love and peace and joy of Christmas, when we think of an innocent little baby in a manger with a halo around His head, we need to remember that that little baby is the Son of man who is returning one day with all the power and authority of the eternal King!
That little baby is the One who will send the lost to hell and the One before whom those of us who are saved will stand.
Conclusion
I don’t know your needs this morning, but I trust that God does. He has brought you here today to hear this message, to hear that as "Son of man," Jesus is fully God, and that as "Son of man" Jesus is fully man, and that He has a work to do in your life. What is that work? Have you been saved? Have you been wrestling with whether Jesus knows your needs? Let me invite you to consider Jesus, the Son of man this morning and throughout this Christmas season.
