Why God Became Man: Jesus the Son of Man
Advent 2025 • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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The title son of man can mean just that; a synonym for man:
19 God is not man, that he should lie,
or a son of man, that he should change his mind.
Has he said, and will he not do it?
Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?
4 what is man that you are mindful of him,
and the son of man that you care for him?
5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
you have put all things under his feet,
7 all sheep and oxen,
and also the beasts of the field,
8 the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
New Testament Texts that apply this psalm to Jesus
The Apostle Paul, in unfolding his argument concerning the resurrection from the dead, declares that Jesus has been raised and is the firstfruits of those who have died in Christ. To develop his argument further, he applies Psalm 8 to Jesus.
25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For “God has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him.
Psalm 8:6.
22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church,
6 It has been testified somewhere,
“What is man, that you are mindful of him,
or the son of man, that you care for him?
7 You made him for a little while lower than the angels;
you have crowned him with glory and honor,
8 putting everything in subjection under his feet.”
Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. 9 But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
What’s also true of Psalm 8 is that it is one of the most explicit allusions to the creation account in Genesis. Specifically
26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
27 So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
This is how it was meant to be and how it will be in the new heavens and the new earth.
If this is true, then the New Testament’s use of Psalm 8 makes clear that
Jesus is meant to be understood as the second Adam.
But consider Jesus’ title, Son of Man
The prominent OT text for the background on this title is
9 “As I looked,
thrones were placed,
and the Ancient of Days took his seat;
his clothing was white as snow,
and the hair of his head like pure wool;
his throne was fiery flames;
its wheels were burning fire.
10 A stream of fire issued
and came out from before him;
a thousand thousands served him,
and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him;
the court sat in judgment,
and the books were opened.
11 “I looked then because of the sound of the great words that the horn was speaking. And as I looked, the beast was killed, and its body destroyed and given over to be burned with fire. 12 As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.
13 “I saw in the night visions,
and behold, with the clouds of heaven
there came one like a son of man,
and he came to the Ancient of Days
and was presented before him.
14 And to him was given dominion
and glory and a kingdom,
that all peoples, nations, and languages
should serve him;
his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
which shall not pass away,
and his kingdom one
that shall not be destroyed.
In this context, this one “like a son of man” conquers the evil world system (7:9–12), obtains authority to rule over God’s kingdom (7:13–14), and exercises that authority universally, sharing his rule with the people of God (7:15–28). What is striking here is that God’s kingdom is given to “one like a son of man”—God’s kingdom in the hands of a man!
The prophecy of Daniel 7 encompasses a long look at future history from the time of Daniel to the consummation when the enemies of God are brought to final judgment and the people of God share in its rule. At what appears to be the climax of history (7:9-12) this “one like a son of man” approaches the Ancient of Days “with the clouds of heaven” to receive universal authority and eternal dominion. He is “like a son of man,” yet he does not come from earth to heaven but out of obscurity into manifestation, approaching the throne of God as one who has that right. He rides on the clouds, a function associated elsewhere with God (Ps. 104:3). He moreover is worshiped, given universal homage (7:14). All this serves to indicate that this one “like a son of man” (i.e., human) is the transcendent Messiah.
We can see this text’s connection with Psalm 8 because they both use Son of Man and ruler over all creation.
It may also recall Adam’s commission from Gen. 1.
28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
When Jesus refers to Himself as the Son of Man in the Gospels
He understands Himself as the fulfillment of Dan. 7:13-14.
30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
26 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.
62 And Jesus said, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.”
27 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
