What does 'Son of Man' mean?

JesusIn theological review

The short answer

Son of Man was Jesus' favourite title for himself. It sounds humble, meaning a human being, but it comes from Daniel 7, where one like a son of man receives an everlasting kingdom from God. Jesus used it for his suffering, his authority and his coming glory all at once.

The fuller answer

Son of Man was the title Jesus used for himself more than any other, roughly eighty times in the Gospels, while almost nobody else addresses him by it. At its simplest the phrase means a human being, and Ezekiel is called son of man throughout his book. But the background Jesus' hearers knew best was not Ezekiel. It was a night vision in Daniel that every synagogue reader recognised.

In my vision in the night I continued to watch, and I saw One like the Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into His presence. And He was given dominion, glory, and kingship, that the people of every nation and language should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

Daniel 7:13-14 (BSB)

In Daniel's vision, one like a son of man comes with the clouds of heaven, is presented before the Ancient of Days, and receives authority, glory and a kingdom that will never be destroyed, as all peoples worship him. Riding the clouds was something only God did in the Old Testament. Daniel's figure is therefore human in appearance and yet carries honours that belong to God alone.

“I am,” said Jesus, “and you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power and coming with the clouds of heaven.”

Mark 14:62 (BSB)

Jesus deliberately holds both ends of the title together. The Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head, must suffer, be rejected and be killed, and has come not to be served but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many. The lowliness is real, and so is the glory. At his trial he quotes Daniel directly and tells the council they will see that vision fulfilled in him.

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”

Mark 10:45 (BSB)

That combination explains why Jesus preferred the title. Messiah carried political expectations of a king who would expel Rome by force. Son of Man let him define his mission on his own terms: a truly human figure, who suffers and serves first, and who is nevertheless the heaven-sent ruler of Daniel's vision, whose kingdom outlasts every empire that has ever opposed it.

Sources

Berean Standard Bible (BSB)

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What does 'Son of God' mean?Son of God is a title of relationship and rank, not biology. In the Old Testament it could describe Israel, angels and the anointed king, but applied to Jesus it means the one who shares the Father's nature, receives the nations as his inheritance, and is declared God's Son in power by the resurrection.Did Jesus claim to be God?Yes, though usually in the language of his own Scriptures rather than in a slogan. He took God's own name, I AM, onto his lips, claimed oneness with the Father, forgave sins, and accepted worship. His hearers understood the claims clearly enough: the charge they brought against him, again and again, was blasphemy.What is the kingdom of God that Jesus preached?The kingdom of God is God's reign breaking into the world in Jesus. It arrived with his preaching, healings and forgiveness, grows quietly through his word, demands repentance and faith now, and will be completed when he returns. It is not mainly a place, but a rule that creates a people.Bible Character: JesusThe Son of God, born of Mary in Bethlehem, who preached the kingdom of God, was crucified for our sins according to the Scriptures, and was raised on the third day.Bible Character: DanielThe young exile who would not defile himself with the king's food, interpreted dreams for the kings of Babylon, read the writing on the wall, and came unharmed out of the lions' den.