So, what is the most used title for Jesus? Which one did He use the most? The most used title for Jesus in the New Testament is “Lord.” The second most used is the title “Christ” which is the Greek equivalent to the Hebrew, “Messiah.” We will look at these in later studies. The third most used title and the one most used by Jesus to identify Himself is “Son of Man.”
It is rather common for people to think that the title “Son of God” is a title that emphasizes Jesus’ deity and “Son of Man” emphasizes Jesus’ humanity. This is not totally incorrect. Jesus does have the unfallen nature and characteristics of perfect humanity. But here again, this is not how scripture uses the title. It really misses the great significance of the title “Son of Man.” To understand the rich meaning behind this title and why Jesus preferred it so much, we must take a journey back in history in the Old Testament book of Daniel.
Defeat & Helplessness
It was 605 B.C., Nebuchadnezzar has just led the mighty armies of Babylon in victory against Egypt in the epic battle of Carchemish. His father dies and he rushes back to Babylon to be crowned king only to rush back to take control of Palestine and Jerusalem. He is now the most powerful man alive and he takes some captives from the noble families of Judah to prove it.
Can you imagine being a member of nobility one day, then seeing your nation defeated and being drug off as a prisoner to a foreign land the next – as a teenager? That is the story of the prophet Daniel. What an incredible young man he was.
Daniel was a distinguished man in many ways. He was “strong, healthy, and good-looking, well versed in every branch of learning, and gifted with knowledge and good judgment (Daniel 1:4).” But what really set Daniel apart was his integrity, faithfulness and personal relationship with God. Daniel loved his God. He loved his people. He loved his precious home-land. It seems Daniel was always wondering, always dreaming about the restoration of his people and their return back to Judah. It all seemed so helpless. So, while he faithfully honored God by serving the kings over him in exile, in his heart, he deeply longed for his home. Wouldn’t you?
Two years after Daniel arrived in Babylon, God gave him the first of five incredible visions he would receive spread out over 64 years. In these visions, God revealed to Daniel incredible detail of what would come in the future for Judah and the Jewish people as well as six kingdoms that would arise after Babylon. The Medo-Persian empire would arise and conquer the Babylonians followed by the Greeks and the Romans. Further into the future, there would be the kingdom headed up by the great Antichrist along with a revived form of the ancient Roman empire. The final great kingdom will be the glorious kingdom of Christ. There is hope!
We are going to look more closely at one of these visions that is particularly relevant to our study of Jesus in a moment. But first, let me encourage you to stay with me through study that is going to be a bit challenging. You are going to need to concentrate, read slowly, and think. This will take some effort, but the rewards of what we will discover are well worth it. We are about to look at another incredible passage that attempts to help us finite beings understand the infinite. We will not fully grasp all the amazing glory that will be described to us but what we do understand will be incredible. If we get it even in our limited understanding, we will be blown away, left speechless for all but worship of our glorious God and savior, Jesus. So, please, put forth the effort to know Jesus, up close and personal.
Next: (22) The Ancient of Days
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