Son of Man: Jesus' Title of Humanity and Glory
The name Jesus used of Himself more than any other — Son of Man — holds together the mystery of His full humanity and His divine glory, binding the One who walked our dusty roads to the One who will return on the clouds of heaven.
Jesus' Own Name for Himself
Of all the titles applied to Jesus in the Gospels, none was used by Him more often than Son of Man — more than eighty times — yet others almost never used it of Him. It was His own chosen name, deliberately selected to describe who He was and why He came.
His ministy encapsulated in this name
The title reaches back to Daniel's night vision, where "one like a son of man" comes with the clouds of heaven and is given an everlasting kingdom that shall never be destroyed (Dan 7:13-14). By choosing this name, Jesus wove humility and glory into a single phrase: to ordinary hearers it sounded modest, almost self-deprecating, yet to those with eyes to see it carried the stunning claim of Daniel's glorious figure.
Fully Human, Fully One of Us
Son of Man reveals and emphasises Jesus' true humanity. He was born of a woman, grew in wisdom and stature, knew tiredness, hunger and thirst, wept at a friend's tomb, and was tempted in every way just as we are — yet without sin (Heb 4:15). In everything that makes life human, He shared our experience, and so He relates to us as one who genuinely understands.
A profound mystery beyond our current understanding
Though He was in very nature God, He took on human form, making Himself nothing and being made in human likeness (Phil 2:6-8); the Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us (Jn 1:14).
His humanity also meant He could suffer and die. Again and again He spoke of the Son of Man who must suffer many things, be rejected, be killed, and after three days rise again (Mk 8:31). The title became His shorthand for the road to the cross: humiliation, suffering and resurrection, embraced willingly and in full knowledge of what lay ahead.
Divine Power and Coming Glory
Yet the very same title carried divine authority. As the Son of Man, Jesus claimed power on earth to forgive sins (Mk 2:7-10), made Himself Lord even of the Sabbath, and worked mighty miracles because God was with Him (Act 10:38). Embodied in Him, the human and the divine were never in conflict.
Aren't you glad He came into our world
And He will return in glory (Mt 16:27). At His trial Jesus declared that they would see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming with the clouds of heaven (Mk 14:62), the very scene Daniel foresaw. Thus this name encompasses both the human limitations by which He relates to us, together with the power and authority of His divine status (Rom 1:3-4; Heb 4:15).
Reflection and Application:
- Jesus understands your humanity from the inside — bring Him your weaknesses, not just your successes.
- The title joins humility with glory: follow His pattern of quiet service while trusting the Father's plan.
- The Son of Man who suffered now sympathises with you in your suffering (Heb 4:15).
- Because the Son of Man will return in glory, live today ready to meet Him.
See also: Jesus Christ.