The Son of Man
“The Son of Man” is Jesus' most characteristic way of referring to himself in the Gospels, yet its meaning remains one of the most debated questions in New Testament study.
Jesus repeatedly uses the expression “the Son of Man” in the Gospels. Curiously, other people rarely address him by that expression, and it did not become one of the ordinary titles Christians commonly used for Jesus in the rest of the New Testament.
The phrase has several possible biblical and linguistic backgrounds. In ordinary Semitic usage, expressions meaning “son of man” can simply refer to a human being. The book of Ezekiel repeatedly uses similar language when God addresses the prophet.
Another especially important background appears in Daniel 7. Daniel sees “one like a son of man” coming with the clouds of heaven and approaching the Ancient of Days. Authority, glory, and an everlasting kingdom are given to this humanlike figure. The vision contrasts him with beastlike kingdoms representing oppressive earthly powers.
Several sayings of Jesus clearly resemble Daniel's imagery, especially those concerning the Son of Man coming with clouds, receiving authority, or appearing in glory. This makes Daniel 7 important for understanding at least part of the Gospel usage.
Yet the expression is not used in only one way. Jesus speaks of the Son of Man exercising authority during his ministry. He also says that the Son of Man will suffer, be rejected, and die. Other sayings describe future vindication, judgment, or glorious coming.
Scholars continue to debate how these uses developed and precisely what the expression would have communicated to Jesus' original hearers. Some place greater emphasis on an ordinary Aramaic expression; others emphasize Daniel 7 and later Jewish apocalyptic expectations. The individual Gospel writers also use the expression in distinctive ways.
For readers of the Gospels, the important point is that “Son of Man” should not automatically be treated as a simple synonym for “Jesus is human,” nor should every occurrence automatically be given exactly the same apocalyptic meaning. The surrounding saying matters.
Taken together, the Son of Man sayings connect Jesus' earthly authority, suffering, rejection, vindication, and future rule. Their combination is one reason the expression became so important—and so difficult—in the study of Jesus.