Why Did Jesus Constantly Call Himself the “Son of Man”?

Daniel 7:13-14 – “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. 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.

Our youngest son may have the world record for nicknames. With four older siblings who all loved him, growing up he was continually getting new nicknames assigned to him.

Do you have a nickname? Do you know what Jesus’ favorite nickname was?

More than eighty times, with roughly half of those occurrences in Matthew, Jesus referred to Himself as the “Son of Man”. Intentionally, Jesus revealed that the promised eternal King sent from the unseen realm to our world was none other than Himself. Here are a few examples:

  • John 3:13 – “No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.”
  • Matthew 9:6 – “The Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.”
  • Mark 10:45 – “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
  • Luke 19:10 – “The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
  • Matthew 12:40 – “As Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”
  • Matthew 17:22-23 – “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.”
  • Matthew 26:64 – “You will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power & coming on the clouds of heaven.”
  • Matthew 16:27 – “The Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.”
  • Matthew 24:44 – “For the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

Which of these uses of the nickname “Son of Man” do you find most interesting?

In addition to this introduction to and overview of Daniel, you can find the corresponding sermons, daily devotions, men’s ministry resources, and hundreds of additional sermons and Bible teaching resources for free at markdriscoll.org or on the Mark Driscoll Ministries app.

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