Part 1 The Portrait Gallery of Jesus – Part 2
Pastor Randall Floyd
Clayton A/G – Church for the REST of Us!
(All Scripture quotations are from the NIV, unless otherwise stated.)
The Apostle John Gospel Wing – Portrait 2
John 2:1-12 – The Son of Man
On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”
“Dear woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.”
His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.
Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”
This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.
After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days.
Son of Man. It appears a little over 80 times in the Gospels, and each time it is Jesus speaking of Himself. In fact, it was His most often used self-designation. Yet, despite His frequent usage, it is one of the most misunderstood titles of Jesus Christ that we encounter. Much of this discussion will center around our perceived idea of this title, but we also explain what Jesus and His contemporaries would have understood it to mean.
In the text, we see an example of Jesus as the Son of Man as related to His humanity. We see Jesus doing human things in a very human way. He’s invited to a wedding; He attends the reception; He enjoys the company of others in a social setting that each of us can relate to. Jesus reveals His perfect humanity by participating in normal human activities.
This should give us encouragement about this life. If Jesus, the Son of Man, could enjoy every day human events without fear of displeasing the Father, so should we. This life was meant to be enjoyed. To live a joyless life is truly an affront to the Father! Jesus, as the perfect human, shows us how to enjoy this life without spiraling into sin.
However, this is not the idea that would have entered the minds of Jesus’ contemporaries when He used the title, Son of Man. To the Jew of that day, this was a somewhat mysterious designation of a character mentioned by the prophet Daniel:
Daniel 7:13-14
“In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
The Apologetics Study Bible (©2007, Holman Bible Publishers) states: “’One like a son of man’ has been interpreted in three primary ways—as an angel (Michael), a personification of the people of God (Israel), and the Messiah. The NT apostles…and Christ Himself…confirm the latter view, specifically that the “son of man” is Jesus of Nazareth. Early post-biblical Jewish literature…also reflects the messianic view. That the “son of man” of verse 13 was considered a divine personage is affirmed by the high priest’s charge of blasphemy (Mark 14:64) when Jesus identified Himself as the One “coming with the clouds of heaven” (Mark 14:62). Jesus’ use of this title for Himself is one of the strongest evidences that He claimed to be the Messiah. “Son of man” is especially common in eschatological passages (see, e.g., Matthew 16:27,28; 19:28; 24:30; 25:31), and the phrase “a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven” is an allusion to the second advent of Christ, as Matthew 24:30 makes clear.”
While we can take comfort in Jesus, the Son of Man, as the perfect example of humanity and how to live the human life in the here and now, we can take even greater comfort knowing that the Son of Man was and is our Messiah, Lord, and Savior. Son of God? Certainly. Son of Man? Absolutely.
