Names of Jesus: Son of Man

After exploring many names for Jesus as the Son of God, we are jumping into some of the names of Jesus as the Son of Man. This is a vital part of Jesus’ identity and role in our lives that we should seek to understand. What does it mean that Jesus is the Son of Man, and why is this important for us to know?

In Luke 19:9-10 we see Jesus name Himself the Son of Man, and with this, He also declares His purpose for coming to dwell among mankind for a time. We will be taking apart this passage in context, referring to the original Greek, and exploring what He is teaching us in this chapter and other relevant passages.

⁹ “Today salvation has come to this house,” Jesus told him, “because he too is a son of Abraham. 
¹⁰ For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.”

Luke 19:9-10 CSB

Why does the Son of Man declare salvation?

In Luke 19, we see the story of Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector, trying to just catch a glimpse of Jesus as He passes by. He climbs a tree to be able to see Jesus, and Jesus ends up calling upon him and telling Zacchaeus that He will be staying with him. The crowd is not pleased and begins to complain that Jesus is choosing to stay at a sinner’s house.

In response to their complaining about His choice to stay with Zacchaeus, Jesus reveals that not only does He know their hearts and intentions but He knows Zacchaeus’ as well. This man is a known sinner, a chief tax collector who extorted money from the people. Not only do the people know of his sin, but Jesus does as well. Jesus also knows that Zacchaeus just repented and that his commitment to repay much more than the law requires is a result of a true change of heart. Jesus, therefore, declares that “salvation has come to this house”.

¹⁰ I, the Lord, examine the mind,
I test the heart^[a]
to give to each according to his way,
according to what his actions deserve.

Jeremiah 17:10 CSB

⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.

Matthew 5:8 CSB

⁴⁵ The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Luke 6:45 ESV

Jesus knows the true condition of our hearts, knows our every sin, and knows if we have truly repented, truly had a change of heart, and have honestly turned away from our sin and toward Him. Therefore, He can declare who receives salvation or not. Salvation comes through faith in Jesus Christ by the grace of God, and only those who have truly repented and turned to Jesus in faith will receive salvation. It is Jesus, the Son of Man, who will intercede with God on behalf of those who have faith in Him. It is up to the Almighty whose name is written in the Book of Life and will be saved in the last days.

⁵ For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man^[a] Christ Jesus, 
⁶ who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.

1 Timothy 2:5-6 ESV

¹² And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men^[a] by which we must be saved.”

Acts 4:12 ESV

¹² I also saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged according to their works by what was written in the books. 
¹³ Then the sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them; each one was judged according to their works. 
¹⁴ Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 
¹⁵ And anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

Revelation 20:12-15 CSB

²⁵ Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost^[a] those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

Hebrews 7:25 ESV

How are believers grafted in by the Son of Man?

In Luke 19:9 Jesus says that Zacchaeus is now a son of Abraham. Whether he is or is not actually a descendant of Abraham, He is now counted as part of God’s chosen family. Jesus is teaching that those who choose Jesus in faith will become sons of Abraham, adopted children of God, and thus counted as part of God’s chosen people and saved. He also explains in John 15 that those who do not have faith in Him, abide in Him and Him in them, will be cut off from the Vine.

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 
² Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 
³ Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 
⁴ Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 
⁵ I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

John 15:1-5 ESV

Just as the Son of Man intercedes for believers with God, declaring the believer’s sins paid for by His blood, He also grafts believers into the Vine when we choose to have faith in Him as the Son of Man. Jesus is the true Vine, and those who have faith in Him are then grafted in to abide in Him and Him in us, making us part of the Body of Christ. Those who reject Him will be cut off because of unbelief, no matter who they may be. He wants our sincere faith and knows when faith is sincere or not.

¹⁷ Now if some of the branches were broken off, and you, though a wild olive branch, were grafted in among them and have come to share in the rich root^[a] of the cultivated olive tree, 
¹⁸ do not boast that you are better than those branches. But if you do boast—you do not sustain the root, but the root sustains you. 
¹⁹ Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 
²⁰ True enough; they were broken off because of unbelief, but you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but beware,^[b]
21 because if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either. 
²² Therefore, consider God’s kindness and severity: severity toward those who have fallen but God’s kindness toward you—if you remain in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off. 
²³ And even they, if they do not remain in unbelief, will be grafted in, because God has the power to graft them in again. 
²⁴ For if you were cut off from your native wild olive tree and against nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these—the natural branches—be grafted into their own olive tree?

Romans 11:17-24 CSB

Why does the Son of Man seek the lost?

In Luke 19:10 Jesus says that He, the Son of Man, has come to seek and save the lost – the sinners. Why would Jesus seek the lost, broken, sinners of the world? God’s plan was always for His people, created in His image, to be with Him. His plan has always been to reconcile His people to Himself, and the means for this plan is Jesus. He seeks us in order to restore to Himself those who will accept Jesus Christ in faith.

¹⁹ For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 
²⁰ For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,^[a] in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

Romans 1:19-20 ESV

⁴⁴ No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws^[a] him, and I will raise him up on the last day.

John 6:44 CSB

God reveals Himself to all of His creation and draws us all to His Truth and to His Son. No one can come to Jesus in faith unless God draws them, and God draws all of His creation into a relationship with Him. It is then up to each of us whether we choose to acknowledge Him, to have faith in Jesus, or not. If we choose to believe and have faith in Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we will be justified in the sight of God and receive the gift of salvation through the blood of Jesus. If we choose to reject God’s promptings and revelations of Himself, He will give us up to sin and the consequences of our sin which is eternal separation from Him and all that is good.

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How does the Son of Man save the lost?

God wants to save each of us so much that He chose to send His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, the Son of Man, to save the sinners who would choose Him in faith. When we respond in faith to Jesus seeking us out, we receive the gift of salvation by the grace of God because of our faith. We then enter into a personal relationship with God through Jesus. Jesus saves the lost sinners who choose to have faith in Him, the Son of God and Son of Man, who came to reconcile us to our Heavenly Father and Creator.

¹⁶ “For God so loved the world,^[a] that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 
¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

John 3:16-17 ESV

God does not want to see His creation perish, and does not want to be separated from any one of us. He does not want to condemn us, but because of His holiness, there has to be justice for sin. The penalty for sin, to transgress against the holiness of God, is death. Jesus paid that price with His own life for the sake of those who would have faith in Him, accept His sacrifice for their own sake, agree their sin deserves this punishment, surrender to Jesus, repent of sin, and allow the blood and power of Jesus Christ to make us new.

¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.^[a] The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV

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What work does the Son of Man give His people to do?

We are called to have faith in the Son of Man, repent of our sin, turn toward Him, and be made new in and by Him. Just as He grafts in those who have faith in Him, He also grants us His Spirit and begins sanctifying us, making us more like Him, and as evidence of true faith we will begin to bear fruits that coordinate with God’s Spirit. If we are following Jesus with a pure heart and honorable intentions, God will know, and our life will reflect our faith.

⁸ And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, ⁹ and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith.

Acts 15:8-9 ESV

When we choose faith in Jesus, it shouldn’t stop there. We are called to an active faith, a transforming faith, a faith that is seen throughout our lives. When we are truly living and growing in faith, there will be evidence of this in our lives. We will bear good fruit, the fruit of the Spirit, and will also be able to participate in God’s plan to draw others to Himself by the power of Jesus dwelling, living, working inside of us and pouring out into our lives.

³ Those who have insight will shine
like the bright expanse of the heavens,
and those who lead many to righteousness,
like the stars forever and ever.

Daniel 12:3 CS

¹⁷ If you appeal to the Father who judges impartially according to each one’s work, you are to conduct yourselves in reverence during your time living as strangers.

1 Peter 1:17 CSB

Some things we should be doing to live out and grow in our faith are:

1. Develop and grow in your prayer life with the Lord
2. Read and study the Bible daily and apply what you learn
3. Share what we have learned with others in order to edify and build up the Body of Christ
4. Disciple and fellowship with other believers
5. Seek God’s way and instruction in all circumstances, filtering all things through His Word

² Do not be conformed to this world,^[a] but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.^[b]

Romans 12:2 ESV

¹⁶ Rejoice always, 
¹⁷ pray constantly, 
¹⁸ give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 CSB

¹⁶ All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 
¹⁷ that the man of God^[a] may be complete, equipped for every good work.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV

¹² For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Hebrews 4:12 ESV

²⁴ And let us consider one another in order to provoke love and good works, 
²⁵ not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching.

Hebrews 10:24-25 CSB

The Son of Man came to seek and save the lost, and He calls on those who have been saved to participate in His great plan of redemption by learning and growing in the Lord’s wisdom, love, and ways. He also commissions us to share this Truth with others in the same love He has for us. We should be so grateful for the blessing of salvation that we cannot help but share it with others so they may accept and grow in it as well.

⁹ How can a young man keep his way pure?

    By guarding it according to your word.

Psalm 119:9 ESV

¹⁵ And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.

Mark 16:15 ESV

How can you share the love and Truth of the Son of Man with the people in your life this week? What are some ways that you disciple others and share the gospel? How have you experienced the transforming power of Jesus in your own life? I would love to hear about your ideas and experiences and am sure others reading along with you would be encouraged by your story as well.

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