Calvary Lutheran Church

What's in a Name? Son of Man

Grace and peace to you from him who is, who was and who is to come, Christ Jesus our blessed Lord and Savior. Amen.

 Psalm 8:1, 4-5, 9

^“Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! ⁴ What is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? ⁵ You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor.⁹ Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!”

 Dear Christian friends:

            As best as historians can tell, most people in Europe had only one name, until about 1100 A.D. By then, the population had increased to the point that it became difficult to distinguish among people, so surnames were added.

            These surnames came from four primary sources: first, a person’s occupation. So John the cook became John Cook or Miller or Smith or Baker or Barber. Secondly, surnames came from a person’s location where he lived. So John up there on the hill became John Hill or Brook. A third source for surnames is what is known as a “patronymic.” So John’s son became Johnson or Richardson or Robinson. And finally, surnames came from some specific characteristics of that person, like John Small or John Longfellow or John Smart.

            Most people today don’t know how they got their names and probably don’t care since they obviously no longer applies. But just the opposite is true for the names for Jesus. We know how he got his names. His names and titles in Scripture were specifically chosen for him because of their meanings. His names are what he is.

            For the last two Sundays we have looked at the names and titles for Jesus that describe mostly his God-nature like Messiah, Christ, Son of God, Savior. This morning let us consider the names and titles that describe his man-nature under the theme:

WHAT’S IN A NAME?  THE SON OF MAN

            Of all the names for Jesus, the one that he himself loved to use the most was the name “Son of Man.” Jesus once said, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head,” (Matthew 8:20).

            So why was “Son of Man” so popular with Jesus? First of all, by using it he avoided conflict with the unbelieving Jews. His divine titles like Messiah, Christ, and Son of God, would only have antagonized the Jews and would have resulted in his early arrest and a premature crucifixion. Jesus had to avoid that until the time was right.

            But secondly, the name “Son of Man” was a favorite with Jesus because of what it meant. It means “son of mankind” or literally, the “human one,” and Jesus wanted to identify with our humanity. Paul wrote to the Philippians, “He made himself nothing. Taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness” (Philippians 2:7). Literally, Paul wrote, “He emptied himself.” Think of a glass full of water, and someone picking it up and pouring the water out. That’s a picture of what Jesus did with his God-nature. It doesn’t mean that he stopped being God. No, he was always God. But in becoming human he laid aside his divine majesty, his divine power, his divine glory. Why? Because he needed to be like us to fulfill his purpose for coming, and that was to take our place, to be our perfect substitute, to pay the punishment we deserved for our sins. Paul wrote to the Galatians, “God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law” (Galatians 4:4,5). To be accountable to the law, you have to be under the law. God alone is not under law, he is above the law, but all mankind is under law. Jesus became human to be accountable to the law, so he could redeem those under the law, that is, buy back our holiness by keeping the law perfectly.

            And his human nature started just like ours did. Our beginning was when we were conceived by our parents. Jesus’ man-nature began when he was conceived by the Holy Spirit in a virgin, yes, but never-the-less conceived. And Jesus went through the same nine-month gestation period as we did. And he was born in a natural way just as we were. And he was laid in a crib, for him a manger; and he was circumcised, and he grew up and became strong. He joined in the family occupation—carpentry. He hungered, thirsted, got tired, slept, caught a cold. At times he was indignant, even angry like when he saw how the temple was being used. At times he was sorrowful, like when he groaned in the spirit at the death of Lazarus. At other times he was filled with joy when little children were brought to him. But he was also “filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him” (Luke 2:40).

            And somewhere along the way, whether it was in the temple at age 12, or, certainly at the time of his baptism, he came to realize that he was God’s own Son. Perhaps it came to him with just as much shock as if you or I would have learned some time in our life that we had come from God and were one with him. My, the ecstasy Jesus must have felt following his baptism to hear God from heaven say, “You are my Son.” But that ecstasy was short-lived, because immediately afterwards he was harshly reminded of his humanity when he was thrown into the desert to hunger and thirst and be tempted by the devil himself.

            Yes, Jesus was true man. He didn’t just pretend to be a man or masquerade as a man, but he became a man, a human being, in every sense of the word. And I emphasize this now because Christmas is a time when we are vividly confronted with his humanity. And that’s a good thing, because Jesus’ humanity speaks volumes to our faith life in three important ways.

            First of all, his humanity encourages us in our struggle with sin. Hebrews 4 says, “He was in every way tempted like us, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). It wasn’t that Jesus had some supernatural power that made it impossible for him to sin. No, he was tempted in every way just like we are. But he didn’t let his emotions lead to sinful actions, like we do. He didn’t allow his righteous anger lead to hatred or revenge toward others, like we do. His sorrow did not create hopelessness or despair, like it does for us. His lack of worldly possessions did not make him greedy or covet what others have, like we do. His gifts and talents never led to pride or conceit, like us. His apparent lack of “handsomeness,” never brought envy or jealousy for others, like us. His love for people did not lead to lust or sexual harassment, like us. He did not fall into the trap of cravings or addiction or substance abuse, like us. He never deviated from the truth or integrity, unlike us.

            We need to remember that as we prepare to welcome our Savior anew this Advent season. We need to take Isaiah’s words seriously when he tells us to “make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God” (Isaiah 40:3). The wilderness Isaiah is talking about is our sin. And Isaiah tells us to make a four-lane freeway in that wilderness for the Lord to enter. Isaiah wrote, “Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it” (Isaiah 40:3,4).

            To prepare for the coming of the Lord means to remove sin we so easily fall into. Sin doesn’t have to rule our lives. Hebrews 12 says, “Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (Hebrews 12:1). The race marked out for us is not just the race to heaven but our race here on earth to let Jesus be our model for living.  Jesus’ humanity is an encouragement live a life that gets rid of those sins we cling to.

            And Jesus’ humanity is an encouragement to live a life of faith like him We don’t talk much about Jesus’ faith. We probably think that since he is the Son of God, he didn’t need any faith. But remember, he emptied himself of his God-nature and became true man. Jesus’ faith was not different in kind, it was difference in degree. His was so much stronger in faith.

            Perhaps Jesus’ greatest demonstration of his strong faith was in his darkest hour in the Garden of Gethsemane. Remember, he was about to face the torture of the cross as true man. God was about to pour out his wrath for the sins of the world upon his own Son. And Jesus asked his heavenly Father that if it was possible let there be another way to save the world, nevertheless, he said, “not my will but your will be done.” If facing the cross as true man was God’s only way to save the world from sin, then he was willing to turn the whole matter over to him. That’s faith, that’s complete trust in God.

            When Jesus’ disciples failed to heal a boy possessed by a demon, Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you” (Matthew 17:20). Have you moved any mountains lately by your faith and prayer life? We certainly can demonstrate more Christ-like faith when it comes to God’s promises and his answer to our prayers.

            Jesus’ humanity encourages us to avoid sin, to live a stronger faith life, but also to know that he is truly one with us. He is a true member of the human race. And since he is also true God, that puts him in a most unique position to become our representative, our link to God.

            When my family and I left the country to live in Antigua, West Indies, the first thing we did when we got there was to register with the American consulate’s office. We didn’t know anybody outside of our fellow expatriates. We didn’t know anyone in government, and they didn’t know us. A hurricane could have blown us and the whole staff off the island and no one would have known or cared. But the consulate cared, that was his job. He watched out for the interest of American citizens living in this foreign land. And he knew and had access to the prime minister himself.

            We have a greater consulate than that in Jesus. Jesus represents us and the whole human race before God. In the New Testament Jesus is identified as that representative by such titles as, “High Priest,” “Advocate,” and “Mediator.” The High Priest in the Old Testament was the one who entered the holy of holies, the very presence of God in the temple on the Day of Atonement with the vial of lamb’s blood to represent the people before God and plead for their forgiveness. Jesus is our high priest. He entered the very presence of God in heaven where he offers his own blood for our forgiveness. Hebrews 9 says, “For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence. Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own . . . . But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself” (Hebrews 9:24-26). Jesus as the Son of Man is our high priest before God.

            And Jesus as the Son of Man is our advocate before God. An advocate is one who speak on our behalf. An advocate in the Old Testament was portrayed when Abraham interceding for the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, said, “Lord, if there are ten righteous will you spare the city?” The Lord answered, “For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it” (Genesis 18:32). Moses was an advocate for the people after they worshipped the golden calf. He prayed to God, “Turn from your fierce anger; relent and do not bring disaster on your people” (Exodus 32:12). We are told that the Lord relented and did not bring on the people the disaster he had threatened” (Exodus 32:14). Jesus as the Son of Man is our advocate before God.

            Jesus as the Son of Man is our mediator before God. A mediator is one who reconciles two parties who are at odds, in conflict, with one another. We were in conflict with God because of our sin, but Jesus mediates to the Father on our behalf. Paul wrote to Timothy, “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men—the man, Jesus Christ” (1 Timothy 2:5). Three names of how Jesus is our representative before God.

            Which leads us to one more name for Jesus that points to his humanity. In Romans 5 and 1 Corinthians 15 Jesus is called the “last Adam.” The first Adam, of course, was the first man created, and we are all like him—human, sinful, destined for death. But Jesus is the last Adam, because, by his grace, we have all become like him—spiritually alive and destined for heaven. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “The first man Adam became a living being, the last Adam, a life-giving spirit . . . . The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven. As was the early man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven” (1 Corinthians 15:45-49). By nature we are like the first Adam, by faith we become like the second Adam—Christ Jesus.

            Someone once said, “If unbelievers are inclined to reject Jesus’ complete deity, Christians in their enthusiasm for his deity are inclined to deny his full humanity, but they do so to their own great loss.”

            May we celebrate Christmas this year recognizing Jesus’ full humanity by his human names—Son of Man, High Priest, Advocate, Mediator, the Last Adam. May we celebrate Christmas this year with the high expectations of David in our text. And let us now offer his prayer of praise in Psalm 8:

May we pray:

Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!  Who are we that you are mindful of us, human beings that you care for us?  You have made us a little lower than the angels and crowned us with glory and honor by becoming human yourself. May your humanity encourage us in our struggle and victory over sin like you. May it encourage us in our faith life to be more like you. May it encourage us to know that you are one with us as our high priest, advocate, mediator, and last Adam. Oh, what a friend we have in you.  Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” Amen.