What exactly does that title mean, and what’s the significance for us today?
The common understanding: He is both divine and human
two natures, one person and that
Son of God implies His deity
and Son of Man implies His humanity.
The term
Son of God. האלוהים בן
is the translation of one Hebrew and one Aramaic phrase used in the Hebrew Bible as another way to refer to humans who have a special relationship with God.
Where the Son of God
is written inDaniel 3:25,or, as
bar elahin
it may be rendered: a son of the gods,
i.e., a divine person or angel.
It is worth noting that even the roman centurion declared He was the Son of God recorded in Matthew 27:54; Mark 15:39
And the Centurion and those who were guarding Yeshua, when they saw the quake and those things that happened, they were very afraid, and they said, “Truly, this was The Son of God.”
and The Righteous One in
Luke 23:47 Aramaic Bible in Plain English
When the Centurion saw what had happened, he glorified God and he said, “Truly this man was The Righteous One.”
The identity of the
Son of Man
appears in the twofold aspect of being representative of God, our Heavenly Father, both by heralding the Kingdom of God and as the prophet calling people to repentance and salvation.
He was a Son of Man, that is, taking on the form of a human being; and He is the Son of God, in that He has always existed as the Eternally Begotten One Who comes forth from the Father forever.
He always has, and He always will be and
this is reflected in the Hebrew Shema.
The Father, Son, and their Holy Spirit are co-equal and co-eternal, meaning the three are One and always existed together.
The Scriptures record that Jesus/Yeshua, was conceived by the power of Holy Spirit, it was a miraculous, virgin birth and not by human procreation.
The term Son of God as applied to Messiah is unique.
It doesn’t mean He was a child of God, as Christian believers are when they are adopted into God’s family; instead, it points out His divinity, meaning He is God.
The term Son of Man has a more important and historical meaning in that, it doesn’t just make Him equal with humanity.
Daniel 7, tells us that the Son of Man
isnot simply a human figure but
a very exalted figure.
Son of Man אדם בן
The phrase Son of man appears multiple times in the Old and New Testaments. The Hebrew expression
son of man בן–אדם, ben-‘adam
appears 107 times in the Hebrew Bible, 93 times being the majority are in Ezekiel. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew phrase
בן אדם ben adam
translates as son of man
and is used for a person, any named or unnamed person. In Hebrew, the term is ben-adam,
the equivalent in Aramaic is bar-adam. We are familiar with Messiah being referred to as The Last Adam.
In Daniel and in post-biblical literature, the similar terms
bar-anosh and bar-nasha are also used.
If Yeshua/Jesus spoke Hebrew, and He used the Hebrew phrase
ben adam, then He was simply claiming to be a person.
Even if He spoke Greek, He would have used the phrase
huios tou anthrōpou, which is the Greek translation of the Hebrew ben adam, and again is still simply claiming to be a person.
In the Old Testament there is one place where a different phrase is used for son of man.
“I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.” KJV, Daniel 7:13
A portion of theBook of Daniel, including this verse, is written in Aramaic and the Aramaic forson of man is בר אנוש – bar enosh. It would appear that Yeshua/Jesus was speaking Hebrew all the time, but used the Aramaic phrasebar enosh instead of ben adam,in reference toHimself, then those listening would have known that He was calling Himself thebar enosh from Daniel 7:13,the One who “came with the clouds of heaven” which was a well-known messianic prophecy in the first century.
In the gospels, the term
Son of Man,
reveals that He referred to Himself most often as
Son of Man rather than Son of God
In the Greek New Testament, the phrase
“son of man” is υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου – huios tou anthrōpou,
but is always used in reference to Yeshua /Jesus, either by Yeshua Himself in reference to Himself; or by others in reference to Him.
This title seemed to be His favorite self-designation.
In Mark 10:45 He said
The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.
So He often calls Himself Son of Man and those with ears to hear would have heard Daniel 7, in which He was claiming a very exalted role in the prophetic promises of redemption. Promises which were unfolding right in front of them, literally being fulfilled as they were listening, so it would appear this was purposeful.
He continually revealed His identity to those witheyes to see,however not so deliberately that they would have the unrestrained zeal to seize Him and make Him king. By disclosing His identity, He spoke truth with wisdom, aware of His Fathers timing in the plan of the ages unfolding around Him.
Others in the Bible called Yeshua/Jesus, the Son of God, in particular the adversary and unclean spirits. HaSatan, a fallen angel who was well aware of the true identity of Yeshua/Jesus, used the term as an insult, mocking Him during the temptation in the wilderness. Unclean spirits, are described in the scriptures as being full of fear in Yeshua/Jesus’ presence, and said,
You are the Son of God.Mark 3:11,
wanting to know if He had come to destroy them before the allocated time. Matthew 8:29.
Mark 2:28
the Son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath.
Son of God or Son of Man?
Son of God
As Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14,
and 1Enoch /Apocrypha, clearly indicate,
this is a title that reflects
deity, majesty and His supernatural nature.
It was an important title for the Messiah and used by Yeshua/Jesus in referring to Himself.
In Hebrew literature from the time of the 2nd Temple,
Son of ManexpressesMessiah’s deity
far more than the title Son of God!
In the New Testament He is presented as both.
Mark, writing in his gospel, begins in the very first chapter and verse with Son of God, using the old title for the King of the Davidic Dynasty yet inMark 22:28, He is referred to as Son of Man.
Some say Son of God refers to deity
and Son of Man refers to His humanity.
It seems logical but based onDaniel 7, which already noted is the source of these expressions, there is a different picture.Daniels vision is of 2 divine figures on 2 thrones. One is an older looking figure called the ancient one.
“I watched till thrones were [d]put in place, And the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, And the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, Its wheels a burning fire; 10 A fiery stream issued And came forth from before Him. A thousand thousands ministered to Him; Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The [e]court was seated, And the books were opened.
According to Daniels vision, this Son of Man in the form of a human being isbrought on the clouds of Heavenand will be given eternal rule over Israel. The Son of Man who was divine but in human form and was given sovereignty became identified with God. Because of this, when the term Son of Man was used, based on its origin in the book of Daniel, the speaker, or author, often had deity in mind. The idea that God, our Heavenly Father would have a second in command comes from old Hebraic theological thinking.
The High Priest /Cohen haGadol, asks Yeshua/Jesus if He is
the Messiah
the Son of the Blessed One -The son of God.
Are you the Mashiach Ben HaM’vorakh?
To which He answers I Am.
In response to the direct question of the High Priest, Yeshua/Jesus does not hesitate and identifies Himself with the One who spoke to Moses at the burning bush in
Exodus 3:14
God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.h This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ”
By saying this, Yeshua/ Jesus not only affirms that
He is the Messiah, the Son of God
and also indicates that
He is to be identified with Adonai Himself.
John 4:26; 18:6.
What did Jesus/Yeshua mean by the Son of Man?
Yeshua/Jesus often referred to Himself as the Son of Man. Being born of a human mother, He was a fully human man but also fully God. His incarnation meant He came to earth and took on human flesh, He was like us in every way except sin.
This title Son of Man goes much deeper because Yeshua/Jesus was speaking of the Daniel 7:13-14prophecy.Probably, everyone listening, and especially the religious leaders, would have been familiar with that reference.
Son of Man was a title of the Messiah as well, the anointed one of God who would free the people from bondage; at the time, Roman oppression.For a very long time, all of Israel had been expecting their Messiah, however, the High Priest, religious leaders and many others refused to believe Yeshua/Jesus was the One they were waiting for. Many Jewish people thought that the Messiah would be a military leader who would liberate them from Roman rule. They could neither believe nor understand that it was to be a servant Messiah, Who would sacrifice Himself on a tree to free them from the bondage of sin.
As Yeshua/Jesus preached throughout the land of Israel, He was well aware it would have been considered blasphemous if He had called Himself the Son of God; and calling Himself the Son of God would have without doubt, terminated His ministry before the time appointed. This was later proved to be true when during His mock trial held and led by the religious leaders. Answering their question He clearly stated that He was the Son of God, then the High Priest tore his own robe, and immediately accused Yeshua/Jesus of blasphemy and issued a death sentence.
They understood that Jesus claimed to be God. Stoning was the prescribed punishment for blasphemy
Leviticus 24:16; cf. Deuteronomy 13:6-11;
The term the Son of Man can be found 32 times in Matthew, 15 times in Mark, 26 times in Luke, and 12 times in John.
In Matthew, Mark and Luke, the title is always recorded as having been used by Messiah of Himself and never by an angel, a man, or an unclean spirit. There are only two places in all 4 Gospels where the term is written as being on any lips other than Messiah.
Of the 12 references in John, 10 are spoken by Messiah; the expression was used twice by men, and then only by way of unbelief and criticism: e.g. “We have heard out of the law that the Christ lives forever: and why do you say, The Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?”
Son of Man is Messiah’s own description of Himself, and is a term linking Him to humanity, showing His positive and intimate relationship to us. In the account of the wilderness temptation, He was on a human level. In reply to the first temptation, He said: “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone.” meaning that He was in the wilderness as a man, as the Son of Man and standing where every one has to experience. However, He chose and perfectly obeyed the commandments.
In answering the 2nd temptation, He said: “It is written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve.” placing Himself within the limitations available to every individual and at the same time declaring that He was living according to Torah commandments, which everyone must obey if they want the Fathers’ fulfillment for their lives.
His response to the 3rd temptation was:
It is said, You shall not tempt the Lord your God.”
In stating the Torah scripture, He declared that the Torah/Teaching/Law/Commandment, which governed Him, and to which He was obediently submitted, was exactly the same as that which governs everyone. By showing His family connection to humanity, He completely identified with all our human experiences.
The common understanding is that Son of God implies His deity, which it does, and that Son of Man implies His humanity, which it does also.
He was a son of man, that is, a human being, and He is the Son of God, in that He has always existed as the Eternally Begotten One Who comes forth from the Father forever, with all of the divine nature fully in Him. He was born of a virgin, Mary conceived of the Holy Spirit, so He is also fully human. It’s a completely unique concept and can only be fully comprehended by understanding it spiritually.
It means: Jesus/Yeshua, was a godly human being and the special One sent by our Heavenly Father. He was the Son of God in the flesh, having a physical body like ours. He was a human whose presence on Earth required a special creative act of our Heavenly Father. Just as scripture says in:
Luke 3:38 Adam, which was the son of God — Adam, being descended from no human parents, but formed by the power of a divine creating hand, might with peculiar propriety be called the son of God, having, in his original state, received immediately from God, whatever the sons of Adam receive from their parents, sin and misery excepted.
Romans 5:12 -21;12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that [1] all have sinned: 13 (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not….
1Corinthians 15:45 45 And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.”The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
Yeshua/Jesus in His earthly lifetime related to God as His own Father, calling Him Abba.
The divine eternally existing Word, Who always was, and always will be One/Echad with Adonai. John 1:1–3,1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him;
14. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater 10:31 Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him, 32 but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?”
14:9-10,Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
and 28 You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.
He was not in the habit of proclaiming Who He was; yet in certain situations He would make open and honest statements and at other times, He would hint, indirectly inferring Who He was. It was only when the Father judged that the time was right and mostly this was when His life was on trial, and they asked, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the living God?” then He said, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man coming with great power and glory.” Messiah openly confessed His deity timing it exactly when He knew they would condemn and crucify Him for it.
According toDaniel 7, Son of Man has the double meaning of human being and, the exalted heavenly one and Yeshua/Jesus obviously meant to communicate both meanings.
What does the title Son of God mean today?
Tragically, many people still refuse to accept that Jesus Christ/Yeshua HaMashiach is God and in todays liberal society, millions of people reject the idea of absolute truth as proclaimed in Gods Word.
The Bible, is consistent and clear in proclaiming that Yeshua/ Jesus is God. For example in John 20:31 “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”
Many only see Him as a good man who had some good teaching, or was one of many prophets written about in the Bible. They categorize Him on the same level as other religious leaders throughout history.
However to those who know Him, Messiah said straightforwardly, and uncompromisingly
“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6,
Many think Christians are narrow and intolerant, especially when it come to alternate lifestyles however, truth comes from Messiah Himself.
As the Son of God, He continues to make the same promise of eternity in His presence to whosoever will follow Him today:
“For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.” John 6:40.
One other place where Son of Man is used is in
2 Cor 12:3 and I know that this man
or I know this barnasha…
which means literally this son of man.
Barnasha is an idiomatic word for:
being in the flesh.
Both titles can be applied to Jesus/Yeshua/Messiah.
Son of Man more to His deity
and
Son of God to His humanity.
which is the opposite of what most people think!
The Son of man came down from heaven.
To seek and to save that which was lost. John 3:13
Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so
the Son of Man must be lifted up. John 3:14
3:18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
God’s Only Unique Son.
He came to save us and make us His own..
make sure He is both
Son of Man and Son of God
to you today.
שָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם,
Shalom aleikhem
chaverim and mishpachah!
Peace to friends and family.
Shavua Tov, Have a blessed week.
Make certain Messiah Jesus/Yeshua is your Redeemer, Savior, Lord and soon returning King and that you have a personal relationship with Him.
It’s all about Life and Relationship, NOT Religion.
You are very precious in His sight.
Not sure ..you can be…
SIMPLY SAY THE FOLLOWING MEANING IT FROM YOUR HEART..don’t delay one more minute,
SAY IT RIGHT NOW…
Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.
I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name.
