What did the terms "Son of Man" and "Son of God" mean to the Jews of Jesus' day? Jesus often uses the term "Son of Man;" and even when the high priest asks if Jesus is the Son of God, Jesus' answer is about the Son of Man.
Jesus used the term “Son of Man” quite a bit, 82 times in the Gospels, so it is good to understand this title. This Sunday’s Gospel is an example where Jesus said, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory….” (Mt 25:31) In each case, Jesus is referring to himself by the term, in a rather indirect and mysterious way. You can simply replace “the Son of Man” with “I” and it makes sense about Jesus and what he is saying.
Scholars debate what “Son of Man” meant in Jesus’ day, if it was used in common speech or not. The term does appear in the Old Testament. In the Book of Daniel the term “Son of Man” is used for a mysterious kingly figure to appear at the end of time (this image is certainly connected to today’s Gospel). In the Book of Ezekiel, the prophet Ezekiel was referred to as “son of man” about 90 times.
So perhaps, the Jews of Jesus’ time thought Jesus was making reference to himself being a prophet like Ezekiel. Perhaps, Jesus chose to use that title, “Son of Man” for another reason, or perhaps because simply because it was a bit mysterious. It was better than Jesus calling himself a king or the messiah because people would have reacted strongly by trying to make him a political king or by putting him to death.
The term “Son of God” appears less often, only 26 times in the Gospels. Also it is different that Jesus does not seem to use the term himself. There are a few exceptions in the Gospel of John where the titles “Son of Man” and “Son of God” seem to mean the same thing and are interchangeable. The term “Son of God” or something like it in the Old Testament is used to refer to angels, the nation of Israel personified, the king of Israel, and the righteous man found in the Book of Wisdom. Further, the title “Son of God” makes more of a claim to divinity than “Son of Man” (obviously).
What would Jews of Jesus’ day make of such a title as “Son of God”? My guess is that they saw it more as being a messianic king (see Ps 2:6-7). However, the meaning is much richer than that, and I believe the Gospel writers intended to convey all these meanings at the same time because Jesus fulfilled all the prophecies and far exceeded all expectations and concepts of what a Messiah would be. Today as we celebrate the feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ the King, let us honor Jesus as Son of Man, Son of God, and King of Kings.
-Fr. Greg
If you would like submit a question, please write it out and place it in the “Ask a Priest” box in the vestibule or email me at frgreg@kc.rr.com.
