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His Timetable Reflects the Son's Deity on Earth

Introduction

Jesus was fully aware of His identity as deity, as God the Son. He knew from an early age that He was the chosen One (the Messiah).  Apparently, Jesus tried to keep the revealing of these two facets of His identity within the framework of His personal ministry timetable.  This was not an easy task.  While Jesus did not keep His identity and position completely concealed, He did control the world's developing awareness of their significance.  Let us examine two significant ways in which Jesus did this.

How Jesus Concealed His Identity

Jesus tried to control others' awareness of His identity by concealing it.  When Jesus performed “signs” (semeia), John said: “These have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:31).  In John's Gospel, however, the very first sign Jesus did was done only at the urging of His mother.  Why?  Because His “hour” had “not yet come” (John 2:4).  Jesus was cautious in displaying His supernatural power for several reasons:

1. He knew that His power would not necessarily be seen as the power of God (Matthew 12:24).

2. He knew that belief in Him simply upon the basis of “miracles and wonders and signs” (Acts 2:22), would not, in itself, be sufficient.

3. Jesus knew that “great signs and wonders” could be used by “false Christs and false prophets” as powerful tools of deception (Matthew 24:24-25).

4. He did not want people to rush ahead of His timetable for laying the foundation for His kingdom.

Jesus utilized signs frequently.  Perhaps we could actually say that He would have been out of character had He not done so.  Many times His great compassion moved Him to act; even though He often specifically requested that the miracle be kept secret (Matthew 8:3-4; 9:27-30).  Sometimes the miraculous was used as a means to show His glory and the glory of His Father (John 2:11; 11:1-4, 38-44).  However, it is obvious that He tried to avert a political or premature proclamation of His supernatural power and Messiahship (Mark 8:29-30; John 1:48-5l).

How Jesus Revealed His Identity

Jesus tried to control the unfolding significance of His full identity and role by revealing His identity according to His own timetable.  One of His favorite descriptions of Himself was the phrase “Son of Man.” Remarkably, in the Gospels this phrase was never used by anyone about Him.  The only time the term was addressed to Jesus was when the crowd threw back into His face His own statement: “. . . how can You say ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’?  Who is this Son of Man?” (John 12:34b).

There is no question that Jesus referred to Himself as “the Son of Man.” He used this description of Himself some eighty times in the four Gospels, disregarding the parallelisms. Even when taking the parallelisms into account, one is struck by a singular fact: Jesus not only identified Himself with this title but also occupied Himself in His overall ministry as “the Son of Man.”

Let us carefully add how encompassing Jesus' role as the Son of  Man actually is.  (We urge you to read the supporting Scripture).

1.   “The Son of Man” underwent hardship (Matthew 8:20; Luke 9:58)

2.   He was a servant (Matthew 20:28; Mark 10:45)

3.   He identified with people (Matthew 11:19; Luke 6:22; 7:34; John 9:35)

4.   He was interested in people's reaction to His “Son of Man” role (Matthew 16:13)

5.   He was betrayed (Matthew 17:22; 20:18; 26:24, 45; Mark 9:31; 10:33; 14:21, 41; Luke 9:44; 22:48; 24:7a)

6.   He suffered (Matthew 17:12; 26:2; Mark 8:31; 9:12; Luke 9:22)

7.   He was crucified (Luke 24:7b; John 3:14; 8:28; 12:24)

8.   He arose (Matthew 12:40; 17:9; Mark 9:9; Luke 11:30; 24:7c)

9.   He was revealed (Luke 17:30)

10. He is coming again (Matthew 10:23; 16:27; 24:27, 30, 37, 39, 44; 25:31; 26:64b; Mark 13:26; Luke 12:40; 17:24; 18:8; 21:27; John 3:13)

11. He will judge (Matthew 25:31-46; Mark 8:3; Luke 9:26; 12:8-9; 17:26; 21:36)

12. He has a kingdom (Matthew 16:28; 19:28)

13. He will ascend (John 6:62)

14. He will reign (Matthew 26:64a; Mark 14:62; Luke 22:69)

15. He is superior to the Old Law (Matthew 12:8; Mark 2:28; Luke 6:5)

16. He is superior to angels (Matthew 13:41)

17. He is glorified (John 1:51; 13:31)

18. He forgives sins (Matthew 12:32; Mark 2:10; Luke 5:24; 12:10)

19. He is authoritative (Matthew 9:6; John 5:27)

20. He fulfilled the Scriptures (Matthew 26:24; Mark 14:21a; Luke 18:31)

21. He gives life (John 6:27, 53‑56)

22. He saves (Luke 19:10)

23. He has a timetable (Mark 14:41; John 12:23)                                                                                   

It is paradoxical, almost contradictory, that God the Son would continually describe Himself as the Son of man.  Why did He do it?  Using this phrase was a beautiful and subtle way of both revealing and concealing His true identity. This gave Him a forum by which He could control the unfolding of His true nature and identity during His earthly ministry.  His timetable was important to Him. As Rabbi, Master, and Teacher, He was always aware of this timetable. For example, His most prominent method of teaching was the use of parables. This was a method suited to both revealing and concealing the truth taught.  He also employed other types of figurative language for the same reason, along with His promise that at the proper time He would communicate in plain speech.

Even His incarnation was a sort of concealed truth, a living parable, if you will. After all, who could look upon the face of God directly and live.  Jesus was God in the flesh and because of the veil of His flesh,  a human being could look at Him and say, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28).  When Divinity came to us in a veil of flesh, that veil became the glorious revelation of God's great love, mercy, and grace when Jesus’ body was pierced and He shed His blood on Calvary .  “God the Son” carefully controlled the people’s evolving understanding of His complete identity as the “Son of Man.”

The “Son of Man”

Perhaps we tend to think of the term Son of man as Jesus’ identification with humanity.  However, if we had lived at the time of Jesus the term would have had the opposite effect. The phrase would more readily have identified Jesus as a “heavenly figure.”  Why?  Because Jesus lived in an apocalyptic time. While we cannot investigate apocalypticism on a full scale, a few explanatory comments can help us to grasp fully Jesus' favorite description of Himself—“Son of man.”                                       

The world of 200 B.C. to about A.D. 100 had become a “world tumbled in” for the Jews. Preceding these centuries, the Jewish people had experienced calamity after calamity. In 721 B.C. the kingdom of Israel had fallen to Assyria . From 606 to 586 B.C. the kingdom of Judah had been conquered, the people had been taken into Babylonian Captivity, and their temple and beloved city of Jerusalem          had been destroyed. In 539 B.C. the Persians had conquered the Babylonians and shortly thereafter had permitted the Jews to return to their homeland. There they eventually had felt the harsh blows of Greek, Syrian, Egyptian, and Roman domination. Although they had rebuilt the temple (515 B.C.) and regained their indpendence from Syrian rule for a time (ca. 165-163 B.C.), they remained under direct Roman rule for centuries, from about 63 B.C. The Romans destroyed the second temple in A.D. 70.

This prolonged historical collapse of order bought anxiety and dismay to generations of Jews. Their national hopes were thwarted. They found it necessary to reinterpret some of the promises found in their prophetic Scriptures. To many, it was either reinterpretation or loss of hope. Where was their promised kingdom? Where was their promised Messiah? What about the promises of grand restoration and messianic rule by God's appointed One?

Out of this cauldron of agony a genre of apocalyptic literature emerged to bring hope to God's despairing people. This message of hope was usually set forth in elaborate, symbolic, figurative language. Basic to most of this writing was the conviction that God had “given up” on history because of the wickedness of the human race, but that God was still in control. God would overcome the world; the righteous would be vindicated, and God's reign (kingdom) would flourish either in time or in a posthistorical kingdom. The promises of the Scriptures were still expected to come true—but in a “new” way.

In this context, the phrase Son of man carried electrifying significance. It indicated one of “heavenly origin.”  The apocalyptic section of Daniel, chapters 7 through 12, points to a “Son of man” as being in the presence of the “Ancient of Days.” He was given a kingdom “which will not be destroyed” (7:14). In contrast to the kingdoms of the earth, Daniel said, “the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever—yes, for ever and ever” [NIV].  The  apocalyptic hopes of the Jews were grounded in the “Ancient of Days” (God), Who would intervene in human history on their behalf through the coming of the Son of man. He would vindicate them; He would reign, and they would inherit His kingdom.

Without question, the early Christians eventually saw Jesus of Nazareth as the promised Son of Man of Old Testament description. This means that they acknowledged Him as being of  the heavenly realm; He was God.  He was not a son of God like Solomon (2 Samuel 7:14) or Israel (Exodus 4:22-23). As the Son of Man, He was the fulfillment of Psalm 8:4-6 (see Hebrews 2:5‑11; 1 Corinthians 15:27; Ephesians 1:22) and Isaiah 7:14 (also see Matthew 1:22-23). He was, indeed, the apocalyptic Victor, the Divine One. He was seen in all of His glorious magnificence as “the first and the last . . . the living One” (Revelation 1:12-18).

Why, then, were the people who heard Jesus constantly apply the phrase “Son of Man” to Himself unable to accept Him as the long‑awaited fulfillment of their hopes and dreams? Because of His incarnation. The Jewish apocalyptists had reoriented their thinking and their interpretation of Hebrew Scriptures. According to their reinterpretation, the solution to their calamities was to be nothing less than a personal intervention of God near or at the end of time. The old order would fall. The apocalyptic reign of God would guarantee their glorious ingathering. The Son of Man would be a catalyst for this glorification.

Obviously, a mere human being could not fufill such expectations. No mortal could consummate one age and usher in another, altering history and reality! Jesus in the flesh did not fit their apocalyptic vision. Although He frequently spoke of Himself as the “Son of Man,” His humanity hid His deity. He repeatedly stressed that the kingdom of God was at hand, but the people saw nothing to indicate its apocalyptic glory and grandeur. Their vision of deliverance and restoration to glory did not include “God‑in‑flesh.”

Jesus' ministry unfolded His identity and mission on His prescribed timetable.  Jesus guarded His miracles to avoid being seen as merely another wonderworker. He was cautious about revealing His identity as the Messiah to avoid being labeled as one of the “false Christs” (Mark 13:21‑23).  He used the term “Son of Man” knowing that the apocalyptists would never see Him filling the role of “their” son of man.

Why did He use this “indirect” approach in His ministry?  God has not confronted humanity directly since the fall.  “[God] who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords; who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light whom no man has seen or can see . . .” (1 Timothy 6:15b-16).  If God, in His “unapproachable light,” should directly confront humanity in its sinful condition, the effect would be devastating. Therefore, Jesus, as God, came incarnate, veiled by the flesh. In this way, He could “seek and save the lost” without consuming them by His blazing brilliance and power. If God dwells in “unapproachable light,” doesn’t that also mean that in His unveiled, pure holiness He cannot come into our sinful presence?  However, He was among us! “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them . . .” (2 Corinthians 5:19).

Jesus used discretion as He brought this breathtaking truth to light. He did not press His Messiahship—but He did admit to being God's Messiah (John 4:25-26). He did not yield to thrill seekers who expected wondrous signs—but He did perform compassionate miracles designed to establish His Messiahship (Luke 7:11-17; John 20:30-3l). He did not fit the apocalyptic expectations of His contemporaries—but He did teach that He was the Son of Man.  (See the 23 roles of the Son of Man mentioned earlier.)  He did not teach, as did the apocalyptists, that the kingdom of God was an eschatological (end‑of‑the‑world) event; rather, He proclaimed the nearness of the kingdom and its coming within His generation (Mark 1:14-15; 9:1).  Thus it has been well said: “We do not by any means merely interpret Jesus in the light of apocalyptic … but interpret apocalyptic in the light of Jesus.”

The “I Am” Statements Reflect the Son’s Deity on Earth

Several aspects of the life and claims of Jesus are better understood against the historical setting and religious climate of His time. However, the universal significance of Jesus and His mission cannot be limited to, or measured by, the usual norms of place, time, culture, religious thought, or history. Rather, He transcends these realms and gives each of them proper meaning. He transcends them because He is God the Son. He gave them meaning by living within them as the God‑man. His deity and His humanity are indispensable for our very existence. Without His deity we would not have been created; without His humanity we could not be saved.

It is not surprising, then, that Jesus taught forthrightly that He was God. Neither is it surprising that the New Testament writers emphasized His divinity. Without this ultimate truth as the bedrock of His life and teaching, Jesus would be no more than a great philosopher, moralist, or teacher; our hope for escape from the clutches of sin and death would be vain and groundless. Let us face the issue squarely: Either Jesus was God or He was a cruel imposter. What does He have to say precisely about this question?

His Deity Affirmed

Jesus was called Son of God by many who did not necessarily think of Him as deity. We have seen that the term “Messiah” did not, in itself, signify deity. We have seen that His miracles did not always compel faith in Him as a Divine Being. We have also seen that His constant description of Himself as the Son of Man was not properly understood by the majority as a way of affirming His deity. We have not, however, examined Jesus' specific claims to be God. We will do so now.

Jesus was a Jew. His stature, learning, life, and activities led the Sanhedrin Rabbi Nicodemus to address Jesus, saying, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher” (John 3:2b).  Jesus knew the Torah; the teachers of the Torah were aware that He knew well the Sacred Writings. Therefore, when Jesus used the Scriptures as a testimony of His divinity, the teachers did not miss His point. They were aghast and incensed because they knew that He was serious. They knew He was claiming to be God.

The Jews held the name of God revealed to Moses in such reverence that they did not pronounce it. Textual evidence for this goes as far back as the Dead Sea Scrolls, about 100 B.C. The Dead Sea scroll of Isaiah shows that the scribes wrote the word ’adonay (Lord) over the word Yahweh (God).  In that way readers were reminded to say “Lord” instead of the ineffable Name. Of course, the name of God revealed to Moses was Yahweh, a form of the verb “to be.”  In other words, God revealed Himself to Moses as the “I am” or “I will be” (what I will), the Existing One.

We can scarcely understand the anger and horror aroused among the Jews when Jesus applied this name to Himself: “Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am!’ Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him . . .” (John 8:58, 59a).  This was the ultimate announcement.  No higher claim could be made.

The ego eimi (“I am”) is not only a reference to God, as reflected in the Greek New Testament, but also a translation of the way God spoke of Himself in Hebrew ’ani ’ani hu (“I am He”), in an emphatic way (Deuteronomy 32:39).  Neither could the statement be reasonably considered anything other than emphatic. The phrase I tell you the truth of the NIV is, in the original, “Amen, amen,”       traditionally translated, “verily, verily” (KJV), “truly, truly” (RSV), etc.

However, the Jews did not believe Him. They considered His claim blasphemy. Since blasphemy was a capital offense punishable by stoning (Leviticus 24:16), they sought to accomplish by mob action what they were not allowed to do under Roman law (John 18:31).

All things considered, it seems appropriate to speak of the “I am” formula as follows: “It is Jesus' boldest declaration about himself. ‘I am.’ This means: where I am, there is God there God lives, speaks, calls, acts, asks, decides, love . . .  Nothing bolder can be said, or imagined.”

This profound statement is not primarily a confession. It is much more than that. It is an astounding declaration. It is the language of deity Himself (e.g., Isaiah 41:4). With this in mind, many statements in Jesus' life become charged with special significance.  Note some examples: “I am the bread of life,” “I am the light of the world,” “I am the door of the sheep,” “I am the good shepherd,” “I am the resurrection,” “I am the way,” “I am the truth,” “I am the true vine,” “I am the life” (John 6:35; 8:12; 10:7, 11; 11:25; 14:6; 15:1).  How could one make such statements about himself? Someone has said that Jesus was either a fanatic, a lunatic, or God. Anyone who reads these accounts, believes them, and then insists that Jesus was a fanatic or a lunatic says more about himself than he does about Jesus.

His Deity Confirmed

An episode in Jesus’ life shows others acting in an unusual manner when He made the “I am” statement. Judas, the betrayer,  led a contingent of soldiers and Jewish religious leaders to the Garden of Gethsemane in search of Jesus. They found Him there with His disciples. Jesus asked them whom they were seeking (John 18:4). When they said, “Jesus the Nazarene,” He replied, “Ego eimi”     (“I am,” translated “I am He” in most versions). Did this armed band of soldiers and religious dignitaries understand Jesus to say only that He was, indeed, the itinerate rabbi from Galilee ?  If so, why did they withdraw and fall to the ground? (John 18:2-8). Did they see something frightening and ominous in this unorthodox rabbi from         a disparaged region who had been ridiculed and rejected by the religious establshment in Jerusalem ?  Hardly!  What they saw was an impressive figure, and what they heard was divine language—“Ego eimi.”  He said it twice!  The pronoun He was supplied by the translators.  It is not in the Greek text. References to Bibles that italicize to indicate words added to the text will verify this.  Notes in most annotated Bibles will also indicate the absence of He in the original.

On earlier occasions Jesus had explained to His Jewish audience His unique relationship with His heavenly Father. He had stressed that He was from above while they were from below.  He had said that they could not go where He was going because of their sins.  However, He had offered them a remedy, saying, “You will surely die in your sins unless you come to believe that I am.”  Jesus put it squarely before them.  The question of the “I am” could no longer be merely an interesting theological side issue.

Neither can it be today.  Jesus is “I am.”  His Father is “I am.”  This is the language of deity.  Any confession of Jesus that falls short of belief in His deity closes the door to Him and His heavenly home.

As deity, Jesus identified Himself as the Messiah.  As deity, Jesus identified Himself as the King of the Jews.  As deity, Jesus identified Himself as the Son of Man.  As deity, Jesus identified Himself as the Son of God. As deity, Jesus came into the world to seek and to save sinners.  Jesus was, indeed, God the Son.

All of these identifications were made while He was in the veil of flesh. All of them were demonstrations of the power, glory, love, and grace of God. All of these identifications were verified and authenticated by His resurrection!  This fleshly veil both concealed and revealed a loving and gracious God.  We will next examine that veil of flesh as we study the humanity of Jesus.