Who Was the Son of Man?

I know the answer to the title question; do you?
The Son of Man was Jesus.

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Wait! Is that all there is to it? It is true that Jesus was called the Son of Man in the New Testament, but why?

The Phrase
The phrase, son of man, appears twelve times in the Old Testament prior to the book of Ezekiel. It is often found in poetic sections as a parallel description to man.

What is 'man' that You take thought of him,
And the 'son of man' that You care for him?
—Psalm 8:4 (emphasis added)

The word human or the phrase human offspring could be inserted for son of man without loss of meaning. At times the phrase emphasized the stark contrast between man and God.

God referred to the prophet Ezekiel as son of man more than 90 times. Son of man was more descriptive of Ezekiel’s relationship with God. Ezekiel was created, not divine; an offspring of humans, not deity. Son of man did not appear to be a term of endearment; nor was it demeaning. It seemed to emphasize the great difference between God and the man Ezekiel.

As a son of man, the Spirit of God entered Ezekiel so that he could speak to God’s people. This might suggest that a mere human was not sufficient to carry the message of deity, so only with the aid of the Holy Spirit could the divine message of God be spoken.

Son of man appears next in the book of Daniel, in a prophecy about the Messiah.

The Son of Man
In Daniel’s prophecy “One like a Son of Man was coming” and the Ancient of Days, a reference to God, gave Him “dominion, Glory and a kingdom” so that all people might serve Him. (Daniel 7:13-14) The Jews accepted this to be a prophecy of the coming Messiah.

Son of Man is found in the New Testament, but almost exclusively in the gospel accounts, even then, a descriptive phrase used by Jesus in reference to Himself. With the Old Testament as a backdrop, the two-fold significance of this descriptive phrase comes into focus. However, note first that by using the phrase Son of Man in reference to Himself, Jesus was able to make true statements about Himself that did not offended the Jews who did not believe that He was the Messiah.

It is significant that Son of Man indicated that the Son of God was also human. Such an idea was difficult and mysterious to people then and now. There are doctrines that have denied that the Son of God was actually a human. However, Jesus boldly insisted that He was the Son of Man. He was born in the flesh and understands the human experience. (Hebrews 4:14-16)

Equally significant, by referring to himself as Son of Man, Jesus identified Himself as the prophesied Messiah. He linked Himself to the prophecy in Daniel that said that the Son of Man would receive an everlasting kingdom from God. He was the coming king. He has come. He reigns today—Son of Man and Son of God.

One other significant fact: Daniel’s prophecy was set in the context of God’s judgment. The coming of the Son of Man would mark a time of divine judgment separating the godly and the ungodly. The Son of Man came calling people to faith and repentance with divine purpose:

“For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.” 

—Matthew 18:11

Mark Stinnett

September 4, 2022