son of man

Upon addressing the public, why did Jesus refer to Himself as “the Son of Man” when He was, in fact, the Son of God?

When you earnestly investigate the many religions, you’ll discover that only Jesus speaks with the authority of God. You see, he didn’t claim to be another religious prophet; he claimed to be the Son of God!

Here, the original Greek is literally, “I and the Father, we are one.” There’s no doubt that Jesus himself claimed to be God and others recognized him as such! In calling himself the Son of Man he may have been referring to himself as the firstborn of all creation—with man being the center of it all. After Jesus’ resurrection, the apostles also used this phrase in their writings.

Some scholars today argue that Jesus never made his claim to deity clear. Some say that Jesus was “deified by religious “conspirators” years after his death.

However, beginning with the Magi who “bowed down and worshipped” the baby Jesus (Matthew 2:11), many people living in the 1st century would have understood who Jesus was claiming to be. The Magi knew that the Messiah would be called “God with us” (Immanuel ) and “Mighty God” (Isaiah 7:14, 9:6). They knew exactly who Jesus—the Christ—was!

The disciples worshipped Jesus as God:

“And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshipped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.(Matthew 14:32-33).

After Christ’s resurrection, here’s what Thomas had to say:

“‘My Lord and my God!’” Then Jesus told him, ‘Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’” (John 20:28-29).

Biblical scholars have varying interpretations of the phrase “Son of Man,” but there is much evidence in Scripture that reveals that he truly is the Son of God.