Jesus said “No one has ascended to heaven, but He who came down from heaven is the Son of Man who is in heaven. (John 3:13)
Jesus Christ has been called widely long ago. However, Jesus Christ called himself “Son of Man” mostly. He called himself in Matthew 32 times, Mark 15, Luke 26, and John 12. No one had called him “Son of Man” even his disciples. There was only one time that the Jew tried to find faults with him by asking “Who is the Son of Man?”
Why did he use this name most of the time? Actually, it defines His characters. If I use many annexed pronouns after the name to explain my characters, it will come out like this. Somkiat, the Southerner, Somkiat from Nakorn, pharmacist, doctor of drugs, drug representative, salesman, teacher, professor, pastor, Christian, servant, father and older brother. We have many significations. It signify me and the speaker. What does Son ofMan, then, signify?
1. The indication of God to be born as Man. We are all human. There are no reasons to call myself Somkiat human. Because we all know that. Or I will call myself Somkiat Thai. This is strange too. In Puket there is a Farang –white with blonde hair. If we heard him speak Southen dialect without seeing him, we will imagine he is a southerner. I cannot remember his name. I suppose that his name is Smith. Does he introduces himself?” like this. “I am Smith Thai citizen” to signify that his ancestors were not Thai. He might have been born in Thailand. Then he called himself “Smith Thai People”
Jesus Christ is God and is one of the Trinity. Jesus Christ, together with Father and the Holy Spirit exist before the creation of the world. However, Jesus was born as human with flesh and blood as human in general. He is so sovereign. He can heal the blind, the deaf, leper, the cripple and the dead recover and alive. No one can do these. He must be God but he was born as human. From his appearance Smith is a Farang- a white man even though he said he was Thai.
2. Options: Get along with man in order to help.
I would like to talk about Smith again. Actually, I have seen many mixed blood people. Some have Thai mothers but some have Thai father with different careers: singers, pianists, scientists or athletes. They can choose their own nationalities. We would like them to be Thais if they are good at some things. However they might deny us. That makes us upset.
In the opposite way, if he said confidently “I am Nai Smith –Thai people” Wow, we love him much more. If we see that he is cheerful and get along well with all people. He can eat Nam Prix, fish entails, and speak the dialect fluently. This can get all our hearts. Every Bible calls Him Son of God and Son of Man. He is both Son of God and Man. He leads very simple life. He leads his life simply. He eats simple food. We do not find out that he said “I am Jesus- Son of God” He calls himself Son of Man. Can’t we love Him? He spends time with people- sinners, tax collectors, Jews with no religions. It is not strange that millions of people welcome Him when He come to Jerusalem. The Jews said that all the world take his side. The Pharisees and priests ran away from their sanctuaries
3. He is a man like us; He understands us
How can we help other people? If we lead our lives separately, we will not understand their suffering. If we have the experiences of reading cartoons or we used to watch the Superman, we understand the plot of the superman. It was written to convey that Superman is good, helpful and powerful. He can fly and he rescue a lot of people.. The movies is an action movies. .How about the actor? The actor is Clark Kent. He was a news man of Daily Planet- the local newspaper. He lived among people. He helped people. He disguise himself in order to hide what he did. How can he help people if he isolated himself?
Jesus is so powerful than Superman. He is more powerful than Satan. He can conquer all devil spirits and all devil spirits need not be under his heels. It is not necessary for him to change his dresses.. Everyone knows him. Jesus who had 5-6 younger brothers and sisters was theson of Joseph a poor carpenter who lived in Nazareth. He learned in a sanctuary. He had circumcision when he was 8 days. His knowledge had increased. “Jesus grew both in body and in wisdom” (Luke 2:52)
We grow up by doing sin. Satan use some tricks to lie us. (Matt 4:1-11)Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted[a] by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The temptercame to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’[b]”
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple.
6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:
“‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’[c]”
7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’[d]”
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor.
9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’[e]”
11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended.
He was hungry when he did not eat. (Matt 4:2) After spending forty days and nights without food. Jesus was hungry.(john 19:28) 28 After this,Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. (Marh 4:38) 8 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?(Mark 6: 31) t is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be inThe writer of Hebrew said that we do not have high pries (Heb 4:15)15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. For this reason, when we crucified by the nails at the cross, we understand how it hurt. If we are never poor, how we know being poor is. Jesus was with all sinners, he feel how it is. I used to be a salesman .I know how it was when not one has been sold.
4. He is like human and will help us with all strength Actually, the name of Son of Man which He uses to call himself is predicted in Daniel7:13-14 that Son of Man will be gloried with authority, honor. All nations and people will worship him. All people will be redeemed and Jesus Christ will come to take them.
I think of Joseph. Before he was sold to be a slave, he used to dream. He told his dream to his father, mother and brothers about his bright life but no one listen or pay attention to him. Judah said that “he is our own flesh and blood.. How God sent Joseph to Egypt to help his family ,it is similar how Son of Man come to redeem us to be glory.
He has the same flesh and blood with us . He ask us to be confident about his promise.(Matt 16:27) 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.
Matthew 24:30New International Version (NIV)
30 “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth[a] will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.[b]
I will translate Jesus words like this,.”Be faithful with us , you will share victory with us.”
