The Son of Man, part 4: Redeemer

Not only did Jesus refer to Himself as the Son of Man, but with every reference, He explained the Son of Man.  Through His explanation, He explained the gospel, because He IS the gospel.  Here's a summary of what He said about the Son of Man.

descended from heaven

friend of tax collectors and sinners

came to serve and not to be served

came to seek and to save that which was lost

Lord of the Sabbath

authority to forgive sins

came to give His life as a ransom for many

will suffer

will be delivered into the hands of the authorities

will die

will be three days and nights in the earth

will rise from the dead

returning in glory when least expected

authority to execute judgement

commands the angels

seated at the right hand of God

The Son of Man, fully God yet fully human, left the riches of heaven for the meagerness of earth and loved the very worst of us with His life blood.  He came to seek us out, ransom us, and save us, and He is coming back for us when we least expect it.  As we prepare to enter the Lenten season, may we lift up our heads with anticipation and live in accordance with our Redeemer who is coming again.  

Pray today that our loved ones will grow so tired of being lost that they will long to be found by the One who loves them most, and that they will live as those who have been redeemed.

Son of Man, part 3: Overcoming the Will (Luke 6:5)

And He was saying to them, "The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath." (Luke 6:5 NASB)

Son of God.  Son of Man.  

Why does it matter than the Son of God referred to Himself as the Son of Man instead of the Son of God?  The first is who Jesus is and why He came.  The second is how He came and what He offered.  Although fully God, Jesus was also fully human.  His use of the term Son of Man implies that He identified with our humanness and all the struggles that brings. King Jesus understands what it feels like when we are angry, hurt, rejected, misunderstood, because He has been human and experienced the emotions and problems with which we are burdened.  He identifies and He understands.  

The difference between our humanity and His is that we regularly fail in a God-like response to the challenges of life.  Jesus however, faced what we face, yet without sin.  He acted in obedience to His Father every time.  Every single time.  He demonstrated obedience, even when it was hard, and He left the Holy Spirit to help us in our own efforts at obedience.  We certainly cannot live a sinless life on our own, but, as believers, we have the Spirit as our Helper and our Guide.  Could we live in perfect obedience?  Maybe so, if we were consistently, constantly led by the Spirit of God, and if we chose God's way rather than our own every single time.  Of course, we don't.  We don't obey every time.  We don't respond to hurts and trials with a godly response every time, but that does not mean we shouldn't.  

Jesus came as the Son of Man and demonstrated what a God-filled, God-controlled, obedient life should be, and we are to emulate Him.  We are supposed to... if we will.  I'm supposed to, if I will.  That little four-letter word is at the root of the problem, isn't it?  

WILL

Paul, in his letter to the Romans, wrote about this very dilemma.  

"For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good. So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (Romans 7:14-24 NASB)

It's a dilemma, this problem of wanting to do right and not doing it, but Paul recognized the solution to the problem was in Jesus Christ alone.  He went on to write that, when our mind is focused on the things of flesh (the sin things we want to do), we are going to do them. When we get our mind focused on the things of God, and are led by the Spirit, we can obey and live a godly life.  Paul said something very important, and very hard.  We are under obligation.  (Romans 8:12)  We are under obligation, not to ourselves, but to Christ, and that obligation requires us to live according to His way.  

Are we living as if we are obligated by the sacrifice Christ made on our behalf?  Do we obey as if our only joy is in pleasing Christ?  

Today, pray that we will live by the Spirit and obey by the Spirit, with our hearts set on pleasing Christ alone.  Pray that our loved ones will be  so astounded by the victory they see in our lives that they will want the same for themselves and willingly embrace the Cross.

Son of Man: Sent to the Rebellious (Luke 6:5)

And He was saying to them, "The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath." (Luke 6:5 NASB)

Son of Man. This term was often used by Jesus to describe Himself. It is also used several places in Scripture other than by Jesus. In Daniel, this phrase is used concerning the Messiah. In Ezekiel, God uses it repeatedly when speaking to Ezekiel, and almost always with instructions for Ezekiel to either do or say.  The passage in Ezekiel 2, though given as instructions for Ezekiel, is certainly descriptive of Jesus and His ministry on earth as well. 

He said, “Son of man, I’m sending you to the family of Israel, a rebellious nation if there ever was one. They and their ancestors have fomented rebellion right up to the present. They’re a hard case, these people to whom I’m sending you—hardened in their sin. Tell them, ‘This is the Message of God, the Master.’ They are a defiant bunch. Whether or not they listen, at least they’ll know that a prophet’s been here. But don’t be afraid of them, son of man, and don’t be afraid of anything they say. Don’t be afraid when living among them is like stepping on thorns or finding scorpions in your bed. Don’t be afraid of their mean words or their hard looks. They’re a bunch of rebels. Your job is to speak to them. Whether they listen is not your concern. They’re hardened rebels. (Ezekiel 2:3-7 MSG)

What a description of the people of God, given by God Himself! It makes me wonder how God sees us, how He sees me.  Read through the passage from Ezekiel again. Do you find yourself in that description? If the goal is perfect obedience (and it should be), then we can all find ourselves there in at least one area of our lives. 

Pray today that God would give us and our loved ones a glimpse of our heart the way He sees it. Pray that He will reveal any hardness and rebellion and that we will have hearts that are both receptive to truth and eager to change. Pray that we and our loved ones will listen and learn. 

Lord of the Sabbath (Luke 6:3-5)

And Jesus answering them said, "Have you not even read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him, how he entered the house of God, and took and ate the consecrated bread which is not lawful for any to eat except the priests alone, and gave it to his companions?" And He was saying to them, "The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath." (Luke 6:3-5 NASB)

In legal defense, I am told, precedent is critical. If something was deemed lawful in the past, that decision can be used to justify a present act as lawful, too. Jesus uses the principle of precedent masterfully in this passage. When the Pharisees complained that the disciples were breaking the law by picking and eating the grain, Jesus referred them back to the actions of David. 

The story is told in 1 Samuel 21. Jonathan had warned David that King Saul was determined to execute him, and David ran for his life. The men who fought with him were safely hidden, but there was no food. In desperation, David went in search of something for his men to eat. He turned to the priest at Nob, Ahimelech, and asked for prayer and for bread. (In a later passage, we learn that Ahimelech had been "inquiring of the Lord" for David for years, and was David's personal intercessor.) The only bread the priest had was the bread that had been the bread of the Presence before The Lord. This bread was replaced daily, but the bread that had been removed was still considered consecrated. It was supposed to be used for the priests' consumption. This bread, the removed but consecrated bread, was what the priest gave David to feed his men. 

Jesus established two principles that day. First, his reference to David and the bread reminded them that the things of God are not to be hoarded when there are those in need. 

Second, Jesus made it clear that HE was equal with God. He referred to Himself as the Son of Man (a subject for another day) and equated the Son of Man with God as The Lord of the Sabbath. 

Imagine the Pharisees' surprise! They thought they had caught Jesus and His disciples breaking the law and Jesus told them, "No, I made the law and I'm the boss of the Sabbath. What they did was fine with Me." Their response was not recorded, but you can be sure they were fuming!

The Pharisees thought they were the protectors of the law. In a way, they considered themselves in charge of compliance. Jesus clarified that without any confusion at all. "Nope," He was saying, "I'm in charge here."  We would do well to remember that Jesus is still in charge, and He still wants thing done a certain way. Oh that our greatest concern would be doing things His way! What a difference that would make in our lives and in our world!

Today, pray that we and our loved ones would be more concerned about pleasing Jesus than about complying with the Pharisees of the world.