The Son of Man

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A Man According to God
Each of the four Gospels has its own purpose. In Matthew the Lord meets the Jew as the Messiah. In Mark He meets a needy world as the Servant of that need. In Luke He meets the human family, to speak with them as the Son of Man. In John He meets the church or heavenly family as the Son of the Father, to train them for their heavenly home.
“Son of Man” is a title of very extensive meaning. It expresses man in his perfectness, a man according to God. Man stands a new thing in Jesus, and in Him we see all possible human or moral beauty. Not only is all this moral perfectness expressed by the title “Son of Man” when applied to Jesus, but all His sufferings and all His dignities are connected with Him as such. As Son of Man He was humbled (Psa. 8), but He is also exalted to the right hand of the Majesty on high (Psa. 110). As Son of Man He had not where to lay His head (Luke 9:5858And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. (Luke 9:58)), but He also comes to the Ancient of days to take the kingdom (Dan. 7:1313I 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. (Daniel 7:13)). Judgment is committed to Him as Son of Man (John 5). As Son of Man He is Prophet, Priest, King, Heir and Lord of all things, and Head and Bridegroom of the Church. As Son of Man He has power on earth to forgive sins (Matt. 9:66But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. (Matthew 9:6)) and is Lord of the Sabbath (Mark 2:2828Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath. (Mark 2:28)), though, as the same, He lay three days and three nights in the heart of the earth (Matt. 12:4040For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. (Matthew 12:40)). As Son of Man He was the wearied Sower of the seed and He will be the glorious Reaper of the harvest. As Son of Man He was crucified and raised again (Matt. 17:9,22-239And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead. (Matthew 17:9)
22And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men: 23And they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again. And they were exceeding sorry. (Matthew 17:22‑23)), but all the while, He had His proper place in heaven (John 3:13-1413And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. 14And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: (John 3:13‑14)). And, as the Son of Man, He is the center of all things, heavenly and earthly (John 1:5151And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man. (John 1:51)), for it was in man that God had, of old, set His image, and when the first man who was of the earth had broken that image, the Son of God undertook to restore it, to accomplish in man the divine purpose by man, setting man in that place of honor and trust which God had of old provided for him.
This title or name of the Lord, “Son of Man,” links itself with all of His sorrow and with all of His dignities too, except such as are His as being “over all, God blessed forever.” He came as the anointed Man to exhibit man according to the mind of heaven, standing for the blessed God in the midst of the human family, who had deeply revolted from Him. He was the untainted One, and thus, growing up in the midst of others, He exposes all that are unlike Himself. He is the undefiled human temple raised at the beginning by the Holy Spirit and then filled by Him (Luke 1:35; 4:135And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. (Luke 1:35)
1And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, (Luke 4:1)). He is the humbled Man, who travailed in sorrow here, down to the death of the cross (Phil. 2). He is the exalted Man, crowned now with glory and honor and by and by to have all dominion (Heb. 2).
J. G. Bellett, adapted from The Evangelists