Of all the phrases used by Jesus to describe himself; the term ‘one like a son of man’ is used most often. There has been some suggestion that perhaps it was not a title after all, but means something like ‘a human being’ or is the equivalent of using the word ‘I’. However, this seems unlikely given the evidence of both Old Testament texts like Daniel and Ezekiel and Jewish texts that were contemporaneous to the life of Jesus, like 1 (Ethiopic) Enoch.

In such texts, the Son of Man is a divine figure, who exercises judgement on the nations, acts on behalf of God and is offered worship (Daniel 7, Ezekiel 1 and 1 Enoch 46)

Biblical Text – Mark 8: 31-38
31 And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
34 And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. 36 For what does it profit a human being to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? 37 For what can a human being give in return for his soul? 38 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
Questions

1. What would you not want to lose in order to follow Jesus?
2. How important do you think the title ‘Son of Man’ is?
3. Who do you think the Son of Man will be ashamed of?
4. What do think of the fact that it was necessary (part of the divine plan) for Jesus to suffer on our behalf?

Reflection for Holy Wednesday

Within the first decade of the life of the early Church, that is to say within a decade after the resurrection, Jews who followed Jesus as Messiah were worshipping him alongside God. We cannot overestimate the importance of the language and symbolism surrounding the figure of the ‘Son of Man’, in helping them to do this.

Word incarnate, truth revealing
Son of Man on earth!
Power and majesty concealing
By your humble birth

(c) Michael Saward