The Son of Man in the Teachings of Jesus-

*This article was previously published in The Tree of Life Magazine.
We reproduce it here with special permission of Hendricksons.

The Son of Man in the Teachings of Jesus--- Is He Human or Divine?

by Dr. Brad Young

Dr. Brad Young, Ph.D. is the founder and President of the Gospel Research Foundation, Inc. (PO Box 35234, Tulsa, OK 74153) As a founding purpose, The GRF is dedicated to the scholarly exploration and spiritual restoration of the Jewish roots of Christian faith. The GRF seeks to interpret properly the teachings of Jesus in their authentic context giving fresh vitality to Christian experience. The Judaism of Jesus is the root which nourishes the branch. GRF promotes interfaith understanding between Christians and Jews through mutual respect and appreciation. GRF works to place the best of scholarship in the service of people who want to learn.

The GRF is committed to long term projects which accomplish the founding purposes: (1) Hebraic Heritage Study Bible [The GRF is preparing a Hebrew Heritage Study New Testament which will explore the Jewish background of Christianity. Teachings from Judaism in the time of Jesus reveal fresh insight. Every Christian will be helped to understand and appreciate the original meaning.]; (2) Rabbinic Textual Commentary on The New Testament [The GRF is preparing a major scholarly commentary on The New Testament based upon the comparative study of rabbinic literature, the Dead Sea Scrolls, historical writings, archaeology and all that we can learn about ancient Judaism. This work should supersede the German commentary written by Herman Strack and Paul Billerbeck. Comparing the teachings of Jesus with Jewish texts reveals fresh perspecitive.]; (3) Probing the Backdrop of Jesus and the Church Through Teaching Seminars; (4) Discovering Israel through Travel; and (5) Challenging the church's anti-Judaism through Education.

We are delighted to bring you an entire chapter from Dr. Young's book Jesus the Jewish Theologian which is available from Hendrickson's and bookstores everywhere. Brad told us that his newest book Paul the Jewish Theologian is now available in late 1997. The Parables of Jesus in Light of Jewish Tradition and Christian Interpretation is also in the works. Tom and Cheryle Holeman know Brad personally and are blessed by his teachings in Tulsa. You may also hear him in Little Rock, Arkansas in early August each year at The Jerusalem Conference sponsored by Arkansas Institute of Holy Land Studies (1-800-617-6205). Cheryle and Tom will be in attendance and invite you to join them there for a weekend of teaching.

Available from HaY'Did Learning Center 1-316-331-7712 or PO Box 804, Independence, KS67301.

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JESUS CALLS HIMSELF THE SON OF MAN. Why is this expression His favorite way of speaking about Himself? This question has perplexed the finest biblical scholars for centuries. The teaching of Jesus concerning the Son of man is difficult to understand because of its deep roots in Jewish thought contemporary with Jesus. On the one hand Jesus says that the Son of man must suffer and die, but on the other He describes Him as King who judges the nations of the world. Not surprisingly, scholars have developed quite different approaches to Jesus' sayings about the Son of man.

Does the term refer to the messianic task? The eminent Oxford scholar Gena Vermes answers no. Does it refer to the humanity of Jesus? The church fathers have answered yes. But many scholars contend that the term "Son of man" on the lips of Jesus most certainly does make reference to the messianic task. They challenge both the position of Vermes on the one hand and the church fathers on the other.

David Flusser has argued, "The one like a man [the Son of man] who sits upon the throne of God's glory, the sublime eschatological judge, is the highest conception of the Redeemer ever developed by ancient Judaism." The phrase "Son of man" could be interpreted as a generic term meaning an ordinary human being. It could also be viewed as a messianic title that describes a superhuman figure. Jesus uses the term "Son of man" in the predictions He made concerning His death. Many theories have been proposed for the meaning of the expression "Son of man" in the teachings of Jesus. The tendency of scholars has been to establish one meaning and impose it upon the texts of the Gospels, separating the original teachings of Jesus from the editorial comments of the later church. Perhaps another approach should be considered. Here we will suggest that three different meanings may be ascribed to the technical tern "Son of Man" in the Gospels. A distinction must be made concerning the interpretation of the Son of man sayings. Each must be carefully examined, and the context allowed to determine the interpretation. Three meanings can be discerned in the best sources of the synoptic tradition: (1) a generic meaning, that is, a human being; (2) a superhuman figure based upon a messianic title for the eschatological coming of the judge of all humanity; (3) a complex combination of the two previous meanings as in the passion prediction of Jesus, that is, He is a human being in His sufferings and death (first meaning), and also He is more than an ordinary human being in His resurrection and triumph (associated with second meaning). The name "Son of man" was extremely important to Jesus. The Jewish background of His message gives fresh insight to this crucial designation in the sayings of Jesus.

The Son Of Man
In Jewish Thought

First and foremost in consideration of the name "Son of man" in the teachings of Jesus, we must recognize the conscious effort of Jesus to refer to early Jewish interpretations of the term "Son of man" as a messianic title from Daniel 7:13. After all, when Jesus speaks about the end times, He uses apocalyptic imagery to communicate His message forcefully. Apocalyptic language was designed to reveal hidden matters which are known in part and difficult to grasp fully with the human mind. The apocalyptic teachings often sought to reveal the future coming of redemption. The work of the Messiah is not complete in the first coming of Jesus. But Jesus taught that the time will come in which the power and the glory of the Lord will be revealed as the Son of man appears: "And then they will see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory" (Luke 21:27). The mention of the cloud here in Luke 21:27 was a strong allusion to Daniel 7:13. In both Daniel and Luke the Son of man is described as coming with the clouds. It is a vision of the supernatural power of God.

I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a Son of man, and He came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion and glory and kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him; His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed (Dan 7:13-14).

The term "Son of man" in Daniel probably originally referred to the people of Israel as a collective group. But by the time of Jesus the people were looking for a person who would perform the task of the Son of man. It was natural to associate the term in Daniel with the Messiah. Hence when the early Jewish Bible translators rendered the book of Chronicles from Hebrew into Aramaic, they made a free translation in order to bring out the hidden meanings of the text which spoke about the Messiah. They believed that the task would be fulfilled by an individual rather than a collective group. When they came to the proper name Anani in 1 Chronicles 3:24, they realized that in Hebrew this name means "cloud." It reminded them of Daniel 7:13 where the Son of man is described as coming with the clouds of glory. The translator called attention to the messianic idea in ancient Jewish thought. In order to bring out the natural associations between the term "Son of man" in Daniel, the cloud man Anani, and the royal Messiah, I Chronicles 3:24 was translated, "Anani [the man coming with the clouds] is the King Messiah who is to be revealed." These Jewish Bible translator(s) saw a messianic significance for the Son of man in Daniel 7:13.

The term "Son of man," however, possessed a number of meanings in Hebrew and Aramaic. With the lofty associations for the name "Son of man" from Daniel 7:13 in clear view, it is possible to examine the significance of the designation in the words of Jesus.

The Son of Man
As A Human Being

The words ben adam in Hebrew are literally translated by the phrase "son of man" in English. In Hebrew, however, the word for man, adam, is the same designation used for the name of the first created human being, Adam. Without going into all the theories in this brief study, it should be noted that some leading biblical scholars have proposed that the term "Son of man" in the Gospels is not a messianic title but rather a generic term for a human being, that is, a son or daughter of Adam, which would include every individual in the human race. While it is true that in Hebrew the words ben adam simply refer to a person, often the context of Jesus' sayings proves that Jesus goes beyond this common understanding. He alludes to Daniel 7:13 as well as to the messianic implications associated with the designation.

On the other hand, some sayings of Jesus probably intend the common generic meaning. The context of the saying and the background of each Gospel text should be carefully studied. When Jesus gives a solemn warning against saying any word in opposition to the work of the Holy Spirit, he also mentions the Son of man. I believe that in this context Jesus refers to every person rather than to Himself specifically or to the future task of the Son of man in the higher redemptive purpose. The Hebrew imagery of the saying is particularly striking in Matthew's version:

And whoever says a word against the Son of man will be forgiven; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgive, either in the age or in the age to come (Matthew 123:32; Mark 3:28-30; Luke 12:10).

One will receive forgiveness for speaking against a human being. One must beware, however, of what is said concerning the Holy Spirit. No one who utters a word against the Holy Spirit will be forgiven either in the present time or in the age to come. The entire passage is imbued with the rich idiom of the Hebrew language and the beauty of strong parallelism. The son of man here is the antithesis of the holy Spirit. It refers to a human being ad not to Jesus. Here the designation "son of man" is used not as a messianic title but in its generic sense.

The phrase "to speak against" is a Hebrew idiom which describes saying something evil against another person or showing strong opposition to someone. The designation of God as Holy Spirit is also significant. In the Second Temple period when someone said, "Holy Spirit," the people thought of God Himself. Possessing a strong sense of esteem, awe, and reverence for God, the people never wished to take His holy name in vain or even come close to profaning the divine presence in any way. As a result, they used synonyms for God's name.

On commonly recognized synonym for "God" in the Gospels is "heaven," which appears to frequently in the words of Jesus when He describes God's reign as the kingdom of heaven. Here one sees His use of the designation "Holy Spirit," which described the sanctity of the divine presence and emphasized the activity of God among His people. Any one speaks against God and opposes His work will not be forgiven in this world or the world to come. Of course in the Hebrew of rabbinic literature, the technical terms "this world" (haolam hazeh) and "the world to come" (haolam haba) are used quite frequently. Here the Gospels preserve an early use of the Hebrew idioms from the time of the Second Temple period. The warning was emphatic and focused upon the activity of God's Spirit among people in need. It is one thing to misunderstand another human being and say something wrong about a person. But one must take extreme caution when speaking about God Himself!

While Jesus does make use of the generic meaning of the term "son of man," the context of the Gospels should be studied in order to determine if a deeper significance is given to the name.

The Son Of Man As
A Supernatural Being

In Jewish apocalyptic thought, the Son of man was sometimes conceived in elevated language that gave Him semidivine or supernatural qualities. Even in the words of Daniel, the mysterious figure who comes with the clouds of heaven is referred to as one like a Son of man. The word "like" is quite startling. He appears to be a Son of man, that is, a human being, but in actuality He is more than a human being. Certainly the designation "Son of man" increases in its significance when it becomes identified with the sublime figure who brings redemption through superhuman power. He is like a man, but He is so very much more than a man.

In other circles of apocalyptic thinking during the period, striking parallels occur. The book of Daniel echoes the wider spectrum of creative Jewish thinkers whose devout faith in God made them envision His higher purpose in a world of evil. The vivid word pictures used by apocalyptic writers captured the imagination of a suppressed people who longed for divine deliverance. Just as the one true God in His goodness had redeemed a mixed multitude of people from Egypt, so in the future He would deliver an oppressed nation. How can one describe such a miracle? In the book of Enoch, an instrument of God's hand in the unfolding drama of redemptive history is identified by the designation "Son of man." The description o the Son of man is quite similar to Daniel. But one should not jump to the conclusion that the book of Enoch is quoting Daniel. Perhaps the apocalyptic thinker who created the vivid images of the Son of man in Enoch is related to this wider circle which included Daniel and probably others as well.

And there I saw One who had a head of days, And His head was white like wool, And with Him was another whose countenance had the appearance of a man, And His face was full of graciousness, like one of the angels. And I asked the angel who went with me and showed me all the secret things, concerning yonder Son of man, who He was, and whence He was, (and) why He went with the Chief of Days? And He answered and said unto me: This is the Son of man to whom belongs righteousness, And righteousness dwells with him; And all the treasurers of that which is hidden He reveals Because the Lord of spirits has chosen Him, And whose cause before the Lord of spirits triumphs by uprightness for ever.

One is overwhelmed by the presence of the Son of man with His auspicious greatness. In this passage from ancient apocalyptic thought, He is standing beside God Himself, the Chief of Days, who of course is the same as the Ancient of Days in Daniel. Here in the book of Enoch, the Son of man is portrayed as being with God: "And with Him was another whose countenance had the appearance of a man, And His face was full of graciousness, like one of the angels." Is he an angel? Is he a heavenly being of some kind? His face is so very gracious, and He possesses such striking features that He must be compared to the heavenly hosts of angels. He is more than human in the mind of the apocalyptic writers.

When Jesus referred to Himself as the Son of man, the people listening to him already knew something about this mysterious figure from Jewish apocalyptic teachings. Jesus employed the most powerful designation for the future deliverer which could have been used by any teacher. When the church fathers thought that the expression "Son of man" referred to the humanity of Jesus, they missed the deeper significance of the designation in ancient Jewish apocalyptic writings. The term was an elevated way of referring to the messianic task. Jesus used this expression when He spoke about the final judgment.

When the Son of man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. Before Him will be gathered all the nations, and He will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and He will place the sheep at His right hand, but the goats at the left. Then the King will say to those at His right hand, "Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me" (Matt 25:31-36).

In these teachings of Jesus, the Son of man appears with the clouds. Of course, the mention of the clouds would remind the people of the words from Daniel and other traditions of apocalyptic writers. Here the Son of man becomes the king. At least in Matt 25:31 He is called the Son of man, but in verse 34 He is referred to as king. Of great interest is the emphasis on present actions in the sayings of Jesus. He does not define the present in terms of the future but rather the future in terms of the present. In other words, He emphasizes the urgent need of feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, clothing the one without, caring for the sick, and visiting the prisoner. What one accomplishes now will set the course of the future. His high ethical morality determines His teachings concerning the final judgment.

The reference to the Son of man is clearly related to the final judgment. He is not human being in the generic sense. On the contrary, He Himself is the king who separates the sheep from the goats.

Jesus' Defensive Use
of the Son Of Man

Jesus made prophetic statements concerning His death. These sayings are extremely difficult to understand. In each of the predictions of His sufferings, He employs the term "Son of man." In an effort to comprehend the deeper import of the designation in the context of the passion predictions, Flusser sometimes called these sayings Jesus' defensive use of the Son of man. Jesus was aware of His fate. He would be betrayed by one of His own disciples. The Sadducees who worked so closely with the Romans would cooperate with the political authorities. They handed Jesus over to Pilate. The Romans would crucify Him in the way in which they had crucified so many other Jews. Because of the politics of the empire, the Romans wanted to put a stop to this popular messianic movement before it could get out of hand. Jesus indeed suffered and died, but He predicted that the Son of man would rise again in these complex prophetic sayings concerning His death. In Luke 18:31 Jesus mentions His death which fulfills the words of the prophets:

"...and taking the twelve, He said to them, "Behold we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written of the Son of man by the prophets will be accomplished. For He will be delivered to the Gentiles, and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon; they will scourge Him and kill Him, and on the third day He will rise." (Luke 18:31-32).

Perhaps the greatest fear of a human being is the fear of death. In regard to the humanity of Jesus, He would die as the Son of man. But in regard to that other aspect of the task of the Son of man, He would rise again. In death, Jesus said, "everything that is written of the Son of many by the prophets will be accomplished." This probably alludes to Isaiah 53 where the servant of the Lord suffers for the people. The Son of man dies but will be raised from the dead. In a complex fusion of the two meanings of the designation "Son of man," both aspects of humanity and divinity are somehow brought together.

In reality, here one encounters an element of mystery in the words of Jesus. On the one hand, the name "Son of man" possesses deep significance in Jewish apocalyptic thought. On the other, it could be understood to designate a human being. In the teachings of Jesus, the designation "Son of man" possesses a multifaceted significance. It is His favorite designation for Himself. He always refers to the Son of man in the third person. But He identifies His own work with the task of the Son of man. Jesus emphasizes the significance of this name and its root meaning in ancien Jewish thought. No one should claim to understand everything about the interpretation of the challenging designation "Son of man" on the lips of Jesus. But perhaps the wisdom of Flusser provides some direction. There is a defensive use of the term "Son of man" which could be viewed from the position of the faith of Jesus as well as the faith in Jesus. He is a human being, but He is so much more. The Son of man will die, but He will be raised on the third day.

Perhaps the confident affirmation of faith is revealed when Jesus said, "The Son of man has no place to lay His head." when this statement is read in the context of Daniel 7:13-14, it is a paradox which betrays subtle wit. The Son of man does not have a place to lay His head in this world, but in the future He will be the king and judge of all nations. While the tendency among many interpreters has been to view the designation "Son of man" as referring to the humanity of Jesus, the name really means that in His self-awareness Jesus claims that He is so very much more. In fact, it is the highest term used in Jewish thought for the Messiah. The Son of man came to seek the lost. He came to heal hurting people. To Him all authority has been given. He is the Son of man who will come with the clouds of glory to judge the nations. He possesses all power and authority.

Jesus As The Son Of Man

Jesus identifies with the designation "Son of man." He uses the name "Son of man" to communicate His purpose to the people. While the term "Son of man" is widely understood to refer to the humanity of Jesus, in Jewish apocalyptic thought it became the recognized title for the most exalted view of the coming Redeemer. In Hebrew the term could simply refer to a human being. Jesus, however, used the name with a profound sense of its quintessential significance in messianic conceptions of the future. On the one hand, He told His disciples that the Son of man would die. On the other, He would rise on the third day. The Son of man would return in the future and complete the messianic task during the last judgment. The sheep will be separated from the goats in the same way that a shepherd herds his flocks.

The teachings of Jesus concerning the future coming of the Son of man must be clearly distinguished from many other descriptions of the final judgment in the wider circles of apocalyptic writings. Like others, Jesus alludes to Daniel 7:13 and to other strong traditions concerning the Son of man. The striking feature of His description of the last judgment, however, appears in his intense concern for the needs of suffering humanity ion the present. The high ethic of the kingdom is portrayed as the king speaks about feeding the hungry, providing care for the homeless, and seeing the humanity in each hurting person. Jesus, the Son of man who becomes king in this elevated portrayal of the last judgment, declares, "Truly, I say to you, as you did it to the least of these my brethren, you did it unto me" (Matt 25:40). Does one discover a hidden reference to the Son of man? The disciples of Jesus should seek to see the Son of man in every human being.

Notes from this chapter of Jesus the Jewish Theologian

1. Some scholars have contended that Jesus used the third person in order to indicate someone other than Himself. "Son of man" refers to someone other than Jesus according to this view. Albert Schweitzer strongly supported this view. The use of the third person suggested something else to Gena Vermes. He has argued that the words "Son of man" in the native speech of Jesus are an Aramaism which is another way of saying, "I." These views should be carefully studied. The evidence of the Gospel texts, however, does not support either of these carefully argued positions. Here we will see that often "Son of man" was used by Jesus in the third person to refer to Himself and His mission.

2. See the study by W. Horbury, "The Messianic Associations of "the Son of man.' " Horbury provides a basic bibliography and surveys the major scholarly discussions of the term "Son of man." He is convinced that the term most probably possessed messianic associations during the time of Jesus.

3. See Vermes, Jesus the Jew, 188-91.

4. See, e.g., Epistle of Barnabas 12:10, "See again Jesus, not as son of man, but as Son of God, but manifested in a type of the flesh." "Son of man" refers to the humanity of Jesus, according to this understanding, and "Son of God" refers to His divinity.

5. One of the finest treatments of this debate is Horbury, "The Messianic Associations of 'the Son of man.'" David Flusser has discussed the issue in the context of Melchizedek in the Dead Sea Scrolls. See his "Melchizedek and the Son of man," in Judaism and the Origins of Christianity, 186-92.

6. Flusser, Jesus, 103

7. S. Mowinckel, He that Cometh (New York: Abingdon, 1954) 347: "By this term [Son of Man] Jesus means to express something essential to His mission as God's representative and the mediator of the kingdom of God; He uses it to interpret His Messianic mission."

8. 1 Enoch 46:1-3, and see Black, The Book of Enoch, 48, 205ff.

9. Private communication. Here I believe that Flusser possesses a rich insight into the self-awareness of Jesus. I must admit that I feel quite inadequate to express his thought with all his vibrance and characteristic genius. This sensitive issue needs further research.

Other materials by Dr. Brad Young are available from HaY'Did Ministries. Please see our catalog, or our website at http://www.haydid.org

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