How does this self-proclaimed “Son of Man” differ from a prophet?
Jesus answered him, “Foxes have holes, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lie down and rest.”
(Matthew 8:20)
Why did Jesus always refer to himself as the “Son of Man”? (And why did Jesus’ followers never refer to him as such? That, the subject of another article!) Well, first off and unlike us, he came from above:
The Word [of God] became a human being and, full of grace and truth, lived among us.
(John 1:14)
Jesus answered, “You belong to this world here below, but I come from above. You are from this world, but I am not from this world.”
(John 8:23)
The angel said to her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary; God has been gracious to you. You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.” …Mary said to the angel, “I am a virgin. How, then, can this be?” The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and God’s power will rest upon you.”
(Luke 1:30-35)
So when Jesus was born into this world, he became in essence the “Son of Man” – the son of mankind.
How does Jesus differ from a prophet? The Jewish authorities of the day were ready to accept him as such. They were! To understand that though, we have to read a bit between the lines. First, listen to the response to John the Baptist:
The Jewish authorities in Jerusalem sent some priests and Levites to John to ask him, “Who are you? …We have to take an answer back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
(John 1:19 – 22)
Jewish authorities sent out some “lackeys” to see what John the Baptist was all about. “Give us a report!” With Jesus, however, listen to the contrast:
One day when Jesus was teaching, some Pharisees and teachers of the Law were sitting there who had come from every town in Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem.
(Luke 5:17)
They came in person. They came from all over. Of course, he was clearly a prophet! Or as the Jewish leader Nicodemus would say to Jesus in private:
“Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher sent by God. No one could perform the miracles you are doing unless God were with him.”
(John 3:2)
So how would Jesus respond to being accepted as a prophet? The key lies in his response to these very same Jewish leaders who came from all over…
Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a bed, and they tried to carry him into the house and put him in front of Jesus. Because of the crowd, however, they could find no way to take him in. So they carried him up on the roof, made an opening in the tiles, and let him down on his bed into the middle of the group in front of Jesus. When Jesus saw how much faith they had, he said to the man, “Your sins are forgiven, my friend.”
(Luke 5:18-20)
*gasp!*
The teachers of the Law and the Pharisees began to say to themselves, “Who is this man who speaks such blasphemy! God is the only one who can forgive sins!”
(Luke 5:21)
*gasp!*
Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Why do you think such things? Is it easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? I will prove to you, then, that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, pick up your bed, and go home!” At once the man got up in front of them all, took the bed he had been lying on, and went home, praising God. They were all completely amazed! Full of fear, they praised God, saying, “What marvelous things we have seen today!”
(Luke 5:22-26)
What then the difference between a prophet and the Messiah? The Messiah has the authority to forgive sins. That truly is the savior of us all.