by Shannon Caughey

Long-time football coach Steve Spurrier was often called “the ol’ ball coach” or “the head ball coach.” It seems that he got these nicknames because that’s how he would speak about himself. The way someone refers to themselves offers insight regarding who they are from their perspective. 

In the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), the self-designation most used by Jesus is “Son of Man.” Across these four New Testament books, Jesus refers to himself as the Son of Man over 80 times. What insight does this give us about who Jesus is and how he understands his purpose? Let’s dig into this as we continue our series on the names and titles of Jesus—always with the goal of knowing him more fully. The better our knowledge of who Jesus is, the deeper our motivation becomes to live and coach for him—and the greater our understanding of how to actually do this.

One dimension of the meaning of “Son of Man” is it’s a way for Jesus to highlight his humanity. While he is fully God, Jesus is also fully human. In Matthew 8:20, Jesus says, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.” He understands our experience as humans, including the hard things like he speaks of in this verse, because he really is fully and truly human. As the Son of Man in this sense, he is qualified to represent the rest of humanity through his life of perfect righteousness, his death on the cross for our sins, and his victorious resurrection.

There’s another dimension to the “Son of Man” designation. It is a clear reference to Daniel’s vision in the Old Testament book that bears his name (Dan. 7:13-14): “¹³ As my vision continued that night, I saw someone like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient One and was led into his presence. ¹⁴ He was given authority, honor, and sovereignty over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him. His rule is eternal—it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed.”

When Jesus calls himself the Son of Man, he is intentionally bringing to mind Daniel’s vision of “someone like a son of man.” Jesus is the one spoken about who has all authority, honor, and sovereignty. He is the glorious King whose rule will never end and whose kingdom will never be destroyed. During the trial that led to Jesus’ crucifixion, the high priest demanded that Jesus clarify whether he is the Messiah and Son of God. Jesus responded, “You have said it. And in the future you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven” (Matthew 26:64). 

Yet Jesus is also clear that the path to his rightful place as King is not through exercising his divine power with military might. Instead, it is through suffering and death as one who is fully human—followed by his resurrection. In Mark 8:31, Jesus is speaking to his disciples: “Then Jesus began to tell them that the Son of Man must suffer many terrible things and be rejected by the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but three days later he would rise from the dead.” He emphasizes this same message again in Mark 9:31 and 10:33, each time calling himself the Son of Man.

Knowing Jesus as the Son of Man reassures us that he understands all that we go through because he is fully human himself. When we come to him, we can trust his compassion. As the Son of Man, Jesus submitted himself to suffering and death on a cross for the sake of our salvation. We put our faith in the one who willingly gave his life for us rather than leaving us to receive what we deserve for our sin. This name also reminds us that Jesus is the King to whom Daniel and the rest of the Old Testament points. In every situation, we are fully confident in Jesus, the Son of Man, because he reigns over all with great power and abundant grace. His kingdom will never end.

For reflection: Praise Jesus that he is the Son of Man, and continue to reflect on all this name means. Pray that you would trust his compassion and gladly surrender to his rule.