Although the majority of Christians today believe that the title Son of Man reflects the human nature of Jesus, in fact the opposite is true. 'Son of Man' and 'Messiah' were two separate strands of 'messianic' hope in the world of the Jews of the first century CE. The Messiah represented a 'this-worldly', national and political redeemer while 'Son of Man' characterized a transcendental, eternal and universal savior.
Jesus was not brought into this world for a national solution but rather for heavenly salvation. The mysterious ''one like the son of man” from the book of Daniel (7:13) who comes "with the clouds of heaven", gave rise to a new kind of messianic expectation, one that emphasized the eternal and the universal character of the Savior. Now we can understand why Jesus insisted on referring to himself as the 'Son of Man' rather than the Messiah.
Some writings of this period clearly distinguish between the concepts of Son of Man and Messiah; others bring those concepts together. Yet, they are not completely fused anywhere. If we want to understand the ministry and the mission of Jesus in its totality, we need to look at it through the eyes of the first century CE. Enroll today to our new course and discover the Jewish Background of the New Testament.
