Messiah Son of God
“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” (Matt. 16:13). Here Matthew records Jesus is using the title “Son of Man” in reference to Himself. Luke and Mark simply use the first person pronoun “I” (cf. Mk. 8:27; Luke 9:18). Jesus also rephrases the question a couple verses later: “Who do you say that I am?”
The very title of “Son of Man” hearkens back to Daniel, who foresaw the rise and fall of four beastly kingdoms—Babylon, Media, Persia, and Greece—and the establishment of the everlasting kingdom of the Son of Man. He wrote,
I kept looking in the night visions And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days. And was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, That all the peoples, nations and men of every language Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed (Dan. 7:13-14).
Those familiar with the background music of Old Testament prophecy would have understood the weight of Jesus’ question.
People, nevertheless, had connected Jesus’ ministry and message to their memories of the great prophets of the past….
John the Baptist
Elijah
Jeremiah
There were certainly other prophets who could have been named.
None of these really captured the essence of Jesus. He was something else...not just a prophert...not even a prophet come back to life. Even Simon Peter would declare: “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God” (Matt. 16:16). In the disciple’s mind, Jesus was not only the long awaited Jewish Messiah (Christ) but also that the Lord had a unique special relationship with the Heavenly Father. He was indeed God in the flesh.
The insight of Simon Peter was really a blessing for it came as the result of divine revelation from the Heavenly Father. Just as Jesus’ titles "Christ" and "Son of Man" befits His true identity, Peter’s name, meaning “Rock,” befitted the foundational work he would do in building up the Lord’s church. Peter is a foundational stone in the church in that he confessed Jesus to be the Messiah and the Son of God. His confession became the same the confession of Christians throughout all ages. He became an instrumental leader in fledgling church with the authority to “bind and lose;” yet, his decisions would have been in accordance to what has already been bound and loosed in heaven. (Peter's role was unique, and a succession is not in mind.)
Peter may have not understood every aspect of what the Lord's earthly ministry would entail, but he understood Jesus was more than a prophet, He was the Messiah (Christ) and the Son of God.
Christ is reigning, and the Christian is part of a kingdom that is not of this world. The kingdoms of the world come and go. Some of them even devour one another. There is, however, another kingdom. The kingdom of the Son of Man is one that is everlasting. It shall not fall. The Gates of Hade is unable to overcome it. The good news is that people can be saved from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light on account of the work of Jesus Christ.
Our proper response to the reality of Jesus Christ the Son of God is captured in this prayer by Charles Haddon Spurgeon:
"Lord, help me to glorify thee; I am poor, help me to glorify thee by contentment; I am sick, help me to give thee honor by patience; I have talents, help me to extol thee by spending them for thee; I have a heart to feel, Lord, let that heart feel no love but thine, and glow with no flame but affection for thee; I have a head to think, Lord help me to think of thee and for thee; thou has put me in this world for something, Lord, show me what that is, and help me work out my life-purpose: I cannot do much, but as the widow put in her two mites, which were all her living, so, Lord, I cast my time and eternity too into thy treasury; I am all thine; take me, and enable me to glorify thee now, in all that I say, in all that I do, and with all that I have."
The very title of “Son of Man” hearkens back to Daniel, who foresaw the rise and fall of four beastly kingdoms—Babylon, Media, Persia, and Greece—and the establishment of the everlasting kingdom of the Son of Man. He wrote,
I kept looking in the night visions And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days. And was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, That all the peoples, nations and men of every language Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed (Dan. 7:13-14).
Those familiar with the background music of Old Testament prophecy would have understood the weight of Jesus’ question.
People, nevertheless, had connected Jesus’ ministry and message to their memories of the great prophets of the past….
John the Baptist
Elijah
Jeremiah
There were certainly other prophets who could have been named.
None of these really captured the essence of Jesus. He was something else...not just a prophert...not even a prophet come back to life. Even Simon Peter would declare: “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God” (Matt. 16:16). In the disciple’s mind, Jesus was not only the long awaited Jewish Messiah (Christ) but also that the Lord had a unique special relationship with the Heavenly Father. He was indeed God in the flesh.
The insight of Simon Peter was really a blessing for it came as the result of divine revelation from the Heavenly Father. Just as Jesus’ titles "Christ" and "Son of Man" befits His true identity, Peter’s name, meaning “Rock,” befitted the foundational work he would do in building up the Lord’s church. Peter is a foundational stone in the church in that he confessed Jesus to be the Messiah and the Son of God. His confession became the same the confession of Christians throughout all ages. He became an instrumental leader in fledgling church with the authority to “bind and lose;” yet, his decisions would have been in accordance to what has already been bound and loosed in heaven. (Peter's role was unique, and a succession is not in mind.)
Peter may have not understood every aspect of what the Lord's earthly ministry would entail, but he understood Jesus was more than a prophet, He was the Messiah (Christ) and the Son of God.
Christ is reigning, and the Christian is part of a kingdom that is not of this world. The kingdoms of the world come and go. Some of them even devour one another. There is, however, another kingdom. The kingdom of the Son of Man is one that is everlasting. It shall not fall. The Gates of Hade is unable to overcome it. The good news is that people can be saved from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light on account of the work of Jesus Christ.
Our proper response to the reality of Jesus Christ the Son of God is captured in this prayer by Charles Haddon Spurgeon:
"Lord, help me to glorify thee; I am poor, help me to glorify thee by contentment; I am sick, help me to give thee honor by patience; I have talents, help me to extol thee by spending them for thee; I have a heart to feel, Lord, let that heart feel no love but thine, and glow with no flame but affection for thee; I have a head to think, Lord help me to think of thee and for thee; thou has put me in this world for something, Lord, show me what that is, and help me work out my life-purpose: I cannot do much, but as the widow put in her two mites, which were all her living, so, Lord, I cast my time and eternity too into thy treasury; I am all thine; take me, and enable me to glorify thee now, in all that I say, in all that I do, and with all that I have."
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