And who do you say that the Son of Man is?

By Patricia Kasten
Compass Associate Editor

What title do you use for Jesus?

Christ, Son of God, Lord, Savior?

All these titles refer to Jesus' divinity and his redeeming mission, which we hear about at this time of year - the beginning of Advent, when our Scripture readings focus on the time when Christ will return.

But a less clear-cut title for Jesus is the one most often used in the Gospels: "Son of Man." We hear in this week's Gospel about the time when "they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory" (Lk 21:28). We heard the same phrase last week, the feast of Christ the King, in Mark's Gospel (the oldest of the four Gospels).

The late Scripture scholar, Fr. Raymond Brown, noted that the titles we now use for Jesus - Christ, Messiah, Lord, Savior, Son of God - were not commonly used during Jesus' time. "The acceptance or usage of those titles during Jesus' lifetime is difficult to discern, even from the surface evidence of the Gospels," he wrote.

However, "Son of Man" appears over 80 times in the Gospels. The late New Testament expert, Martin Dibelius, said it occurs three times more often than "Messiah" in the accounts of Jesus' ministry.

And, most likely, "Son of Man" is how Jesus referred to himself. Why? Because no one besides Jesus used that phrase in the Gospels. Neither Paul nor any of the other letter writers of the New Testament used the phrase. And it only appears once in Acts, on the lips of the dying martyr, Stephen.

"Son of Man' is an ambiguous term - one of many meanings. And it seems that Jesus meant more than one thing whenever he used it. In the same way that Advent has many meanings - preparation for Jesus' coming of at the end times, remembering his coming at Bethlehem, and celebrating his personal coming into our own lives - so does "Son of Man" in the Gospels have many meanings. Three are most often noted by Scripture scholars.

The original phrase, as used by Jesus, would have been bar nassa in Aramaic. Very simply, it means "son, or child, of man" and, at its most basic, it means "a human being."

While we could say that Jesus was simply referring to himself as a person - a modest way of not saying "I" - more likely we see here the first level of what Jesus often meant by "Son of Man:" his earthly work.

Doing God's work

Like any human being, Jesus had a vocation, a work to accomplish: his was to announce the advent of the Kingdom. We can see this in the story of the paralytic man - when Jesus, "the Son of Man" preaches the Word, heals and forgives sins. (Mk 2:1-13). But again the multiple meanings of the phrase "Son of Man" come into play: Jesus' human work also reveals God's divine work. As Dibelius wrote, "One is to see in (Jesus') acts God's working, one is to perceive in his appearing God's coming with his Kingdom." And that coming kingdom does not arrive easily.

Passion

The second meaning behind the "Son of Man" title refers to Jesus' suffering, both his earthly deprivation - "no place to lay his head" (Mt 8:19) - as well as his passion and death. "He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer greatly ... and be killed" (Mk 8:31).

It is clear from the Gospels that Jesus' divinity can only be fully understood in light of the cross. In Mark, no human being recognizes him as "the Son of God" (Mk 15:39) until his death on the cross. And in John, Jesus says the Son of Man must be "lifted up from the earth" (12:33) to fulfill his mission to draw all people to God. Suffering, for the Son of Man, is linked to salvation.

While Jesus' death was unique and part of the Paschal Mystery of redemption, his suffering and death as "Son of Man" again parallel that of all "children of men" and remind us of how closely God comes to each of us through Jesus. It helps to know that, in Hebrew, "son of man" is ben a'dam. Throughout Christian history, Adam (also translated as "the human") has been linked to Jesus. The human story, begun with Adam, finds fulfillment in the Son of Man. Paul told us that "just as in Adam all die, so too in Christ shall all be brought to life" (1Cor 15:22).

Coming glory

And it is in resurrection power, that we see yet another - perhaps the ultimate - meaning of "Son of Man" terminology: the triumphant figure in Sunday's gospel. Understanding the Son of Man as an apocalyptic figure became most fully developed in John's gospel and continues to color our modern understanding of the term. As Catholic University theologian, Salesian Fr. Francis Moloney, wrote, "It appears that John uses a traditional term (Son of Man) to present the earthly ministry of Jesus - and especially the 'lifting up' on the cross - as 'the place' where the man Jesus, the Son of Man, reveals God and thus brings life and judgment."

The Son of Man, a human life perfectly united to God, brought salvation (judgment and life) to all humans, to all children of men.

Just as should any child of man, Jesus lived his vocation and united his suffering and death to God's plan. However, since he was also the Son of God, his humanity was filled with divine power and grace. And thus, as "the Son of Man," he can - and chooses to - share that power and grace with all who follow him: All sons and daughters of man are, through the Son of Man, made children of God.