Son of Man – Son of God
The mystery of the divinity and humanity of Jesus has confused mankind throughout the ages. The incarnation of the second person of the Trinity in time and space broke all paradigms of how God relates to man. The Greeks had the concept of a “demi-god”, half man half god, (as were Hercules and Achilles), which was the result of a god copulating with a human. This demi-god had supernatural traits and was able to perform extra-human feats, but was human enough to die. When Paul preached about Jesus to the Athenians in the Areopagus, what shocked them was the message of the resurrection. The Gnostics, of the first century, understood the divinity of Christ, but couldn’t grasp His humanity. Arianism, on the other hand, denied the divinity of Jesus. This doctrine was propagated throughout Egypt and Arabia in the 3rd to 6th centuries, and is most likely what influenced Mohammed’s understanding of Jesus, (Isa), in the writing of the Koran.
In the midst of this confusion caused by the Gnostic and Arians, the Church convened in Chalcedon, in the year A.D. 451, to settle this issue. Church leaders gathered and produced a statement that has been considered orthodox doctrine ever since. It reads: “Our Lord Jesus Christ is one and the same God, perfect in divinity, and perfect in humanity, true God and true human…Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotten, manifested in two natures without any confusion, change, division or separation.” The clearest Biblical reference to the dual nature of Christ is found in the first chapter of John. Verse 1 states: “The Word was God”. And in verse 14: “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”
Why was Jesus’ humanity so important? The incarnation was not the subtraction of divinity, but the addition of humanity. Man is a finite being and God is infinite. Thus being, man, by definition, could never reach God, but God can reach man. Man, because of sin, was separated from God. According to I John 3.5, Jesus became a man to take away our sins. He took man’s sin upon Himself and paid the penalty of sin by dying on the cross. Only in this way, could man be restored in his relationship with his creator. The writer to the Hebrews says that Jesus was tempted in all ways like we are, and yet remained without sin. Thus, He can sympathize with our weakness as humans. (Heb. 4.15) He came to us to lift us to Him.
Over 80 times in the Gospels, Jesus refers to Himself as the “Son of Man”. Jesus was not denying His divinity by referring to Himself in this way. Daniel identified the “Son of Man” as the coming Messiah and Savior of mankind. (Daniel 7.13-14) When the Pharisees asked Jesus if He were the “Son of God”, He made reference to this passage by responding: “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.” (Mat. 26.63-64) The One who is King of kings and Lord of lords has humbled Himself to the point of becoming a man to identify with each one of us.
Jesus as the Son of Man and Son of God is also seen in the forgiving of sins. Isaiah says that it is God who forgives sins (43.35), and Jesus says that the Son of Man has the power to forgive sins. (Mark 2.7-10) Yes, Jesus is 100% man and yes, Jesus is 100% God. He is over all and yet one with us. This is the great mystery of redemption and basis of our relationship with God.
Scriptures to meditate on:
Daniel 7.13-14; Mat. 20.28; 26.63-64; John 1.1, 14; I John 3.5; 4.2; Heb. 4.15; Phil. 2.6-8