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Reading: Mt.17:1-33

Text: Mt.16:13 "Jesus … asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”"

The title "son of man" is found in the OT over a hundred times. There it denotes mankind generally, with special reference to their weakness and frailty. It is a title frequently given to the prophet Ezekiel, probably to remind him of his human weakness.

When we turn to the NT we find that "the Son of man" seems to have been Jesus' preferred way of referring to Himself. In using this name Jesus did declared the truth of his human nature – He was a real man with a rational soul. Yes, He was the Son of God but He was manifested in the flesh, He was the second Adam, and as such He had a natural compassion for men.

However the way in which Jesus used this title is not to be limited to a mere declaration of His manhood. Jesus used it as something of a concealed Messianic title. There is OT precedent for this but only in a couple of verses:

Ps 80:17 "But let your hand be on the man of your right hand, the son of man whom you have made strong for yourself!"

Dan.7:13 "I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him."

Jesus probably used this title because it hadn't become part of the distorted messianic expectations that abounded in the first century. He would then have the opportunity of filling in the detail of just what He had come to achieve as the Messiah without it immediately being hijacked by some erroneous preconceived ideas amongst His hearers.

This evening we are going to look at just how Jesus employed this description of Himself and the truths to which He links it.

The first thing for us to notice is that although the NT employs the expression some 80 times its distribution is striking. Outside of the four gospels the title is only found 4 times and in the gospels it is a name that Jesus used to describe Himself but we never read of anyone else calling Him by this title.

Matthew is the writer who records the title the most often with a little more than one in three occurences being found in his gospel. We will limit ourselves this evening to a consideration of the title "Son of Man" as it is found in Matthew.

It is fascinating to see now just how focused Jesus use of this title is. The vast majority of times when He employs the description "Son of Man" of Himself He does to speak of the events that characterise the reason for His coming into the world, His mission if you like. In particular He directs our attention to the events at the end of His life and ministry on earth and beyond! When Jesus speaks about Himself as the Son of Man we are drawn straight to the heart of the gospel.

Mt.8:20 "And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”"

The first occurrence of the title aligns Jesus with the more general OT usage with its stress upon the weakness of humanity. Jesus comes in humility – He has no material wealth nor riches and indeed has no place even that He might call His own.

Further on in this gospel Jesus will make it clear that this was no mistake, no misfortune, because He came not to lord it over people as some worldly potentate might, but He came with the specific intent of serving and a true serving requires a humble spirit:

Mt.20:28 "the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

But just because He was humble and ready to serve this did not mean that He was divested of His power and authority:

Mt.12:8 "For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath."

The Sabbath and Sabbath obedience was enshrined in the Law that the LORD God had given through Moses with the Ten Commandments. It was not some bright idea that some Jewish teachers had come up with in the past that could be easily tampered with, no, it was divinely ordained and here Jesus without the slightest hesitation or prevarication declares that it is He, the Son of Man, who determines everything that concerns the Sabbath!

What a claim this is but it is not the only extraordinary claim that the Son of Man makes:

Mt.9:6 "but that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”––he then said to the paralytic––“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.”"

And this when several of those listening to Him were thinking in their hearts that He was blaspheming when He declared the sins of the paralysed man to be forgiven!

The Son of Man might well be a man but He was far from being a mere man – He possessed and exercised authority that pertained to God alone!

Jesus knew who He was, how exalted He was, and the great authority and power that were His. Nevertheless He knew that for all that His task would not be easily accomplished. His own people to whom He had come would not recognise Him and would turn against Him. Instead of welcoming Him and putting their faith in Him they would do all they could to have done with Him. None of this came as a surprise to Him but He taught it clearly before it happened:

Mt 17:12 "the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands."

Mt 17:22 "As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men,"

Mt 20:18 “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death"

Mt 26:2 “You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.”

Mt 26:24 "The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.”

Mt 26:45 "Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Sleep and take your rest later on. See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners."

Jesus understood His role and function as the Messiah in a precisely defined way. By the repeated use of this title "Son of Man" He communicated with His followers in a very effective and clear manner just how He was.

The Son of Man was to then to be delivered up and betrayed – to suffering and death, death by crucifixion. He knew too that this death would be a real death – no swoon, no divine sleight of hand so that He seemed to observers to die but in reality didn't – no, He knew the Son of Man would die band would be buried too:

Mt.12:40 "For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."

The weakness of mere men is nowhere more clearly seen than in death. The strongest, brightest, and most impressive of men all decline and die. As the Preacher puts it in the Book of Ecclesiates:

Ec.9:4 "a living dog is better than a dead lion."

In a similar way we say that death is the great leveller.

And yet the Son of Man is not levelled by death, He overcomes it!!

Mt.17:9 "Jesus commanded them, “Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.”

Three days and nights in the heart of the earth – but that is all!!

Not only did Jesus clearly teach His sufferings and death, He taught His own victory over death. And not only that He went on to speak clearly and emphatically of what He the Son of Man would do subsequent to His resurrection!

Again and again Jesus spoke of His coming – not of His coming into the world as a baby at Bethlehem in humbleness but of His coming in great glory and majesty; of His coming in power and authority to reign in His Kingdom. This coming He said was sure even though when it did occur it would be sudden, dramatic and unexpected:

It is here that Jesus seems to have leaned most heavily upon those words in the Prophet Daniel that we have already mentioned:

Dan.7:13-14 "I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed."

Mt.16:27-28 "For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

Mt.24:30 "Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory."

Mt.25:31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne."

Mt.26:64 "Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”"

And how sudden His coming will be!

Mt.24:27 "For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man."

Mt.24:44 "Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."

When He comes, this Son of Man, it will be a time for judgment. It will be a righteous judgment and a pure judgment and a penetrating judgment. Sin, wrong-doing and wrong attitudes will be revealed and weeded out – there will be no place, no room for any of that and nor will there be any room for those who live that way:

Mt.13:41 "The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law–breakers,"

Mt.26:24 "The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.”

How serious it will be for those who are not ready, for those who have not come to put their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ!

And yet my friends it is still the day of grace, the day of salvation. He is still ready to exercise His authority to forgive sin rather than to execute final judgment against it.

This is what Jesus means when He describes Himself as the Son of Man, the Messiah. The ball is in your court: "Who do you say He is?"

To God be the glory.