The Triumphant Son of Man

The Son of Man was prophesied to regain the dominion that Adam lost and to bring to completion the redemptive purposes of God. Today, Sinclair Ferguson speaks on the title that Jesus most often used to identify Himself.

All this week on Things Unseen, we’ve been reflecting on the question that Jesus asked the disciples at Caesarea Philippi: “Who do you say that I am?” We’ve thought about the two great titles that Simon Peter used in his answer: “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God” (Matt. 16:15–16). But at the end yesterday, I mentioned a third title used for the Lord Jesus, but not one that Peter used. In fact—and this is actually significant—it’s not a title that’s ever found on the lips of any of the Apostles, although it appears frequently in their writings. In fact, apart from what amounts to a quotation in John 12:34, only two people have ever used it. One is the martyr, Stephen, who used it in the moments just before he died. I wonder if you remember, he said, “I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God” (Acts 7:56). The other person who used it? Well of course, it’s the Lord Jesus Himself. And He used it at Caesarea Philippi, remember, when He asked the disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” (Matt. 16:13).

Son of Man is an expression that occurs around, I think, eighty times in the Gospels. And we could say it’s not only Jesus’ unique way of describing Himself—because basically nobody else uses the title—it’s actually His favorite way of talking about His own ministry. Now, many Christians have been taught to think that Son of God refers to Jesus’ deity while Son of Man refers to His humanity. But that’s not the whole story. Certainly, Son of Man can simply mean “man,” but Jesus doesn’t talk about Himself as simply a son of man, but as the Son of Man, the well-known Son of Man. And what He means by that is the Son of Man you’ve heard about in the Hebrew Scriptures. But what Hebrew Scriptures?

Well, I have no doubt that Daniel 7 is in Jesus’ mind. You’ll remember Daniel’s vision. He has a vision of God in His majesty, seated on a throne of fire, with thousands of thousands serving Him and ten thousand times ten thousand standing before Him. It’s a throne room scene, and it’s also a courtroom scene. And Daniel sees God’s enemies being subdued, although opposition to Him is not yet finally destroyed. Then, in the night, he sees something amazing: on the clouds of heaven, a symbol of the presence of the Spirit of God. He sees “one like a son of man” coming to the throne and being presented to God, the Ancient of Days. And this “son of man” is given dominion. All peoples, nations, and languages serve Him. His dominion is secure and everlasting. His kingdom is indestructible (Dan. 7:13–14). And later on, as the vision is explained, Daniel learns that the Son of Man shares His riches with His people, who are described as “saints of the Most High (Dan. 7:18, 22).

Well, that’s who Jesus is talking about. The Son of Man is Himself. That’s who He really is. In His incarnation, life, death, resurrection, and ascension, this vision has become a reality. Jesus is the One who’s going to the throne of God in triumph; He’s the Son of Man.

But where is the Son of Man going to come from to the throne? And of course, that’s what Jesus then makes clear to Simon Peter and the other Apostles: He’s going to go to the throne of the Most High through His suffering and death because it’s through that death and resurrection that He will regain the kingdom that Adam was called to rule over but instead lost.

This isn’t, in the first instance, a picture of Jesus’ second coming, although it’s often understood that way. He’s not coming from heaven; He’s going to heaven. It’s a picture of His ascension. It’s a vision of Him going to His coronation. It’s the picture of Psalm 68:18: “You ascended on high, and led a host of captives in Your train, and You received gifts from men.” Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:8 that at that point, the Lord Jesus, through the Spirit, would then distribute those gifts to men. He’d share His victory and His kingdom with the saints of the Most High.

So, what a glorious picture of Jesus Daniel is seeing: the Savior who would take our humanity as the Son of Man to undo what Adam did and to do what Adam failed to do—to regain dominion over all things and to bring to completion the purposes of the Most High—and when He had done that, to ascend on the clouds of heaven, to be crowned Lord at the Father’s right hand, and then, when all authority in heaven and earth was given to Him, to spread His dominion by reigning in our lives.

And so, Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, the Son of Man, who for our sakes became incarnate, was crucified, dead and buried, and was raised, and is now ascended and reigning at the right hand of the Majesty on high. “Angels and men before Him bow and crown Him Lord of all,” we sing. As we come to the end of another week on Things Unseen, I hope you want to sing that too: “Angels and men—and me too—before Him bow and crown Him Lord of all.”

So, until next week on Things Unseen, I do hope that you and your church family will have a very blessed Lord’s Day.