We can identify with Jesus, the Son of Man’ he had brothers and sisters and grew up in a normal Jewish family of his day. Jesus lived by faith that His Father in heaven heard his prayers and responded to them.
Faith isn’t blind, we have this amazing, thrilling and exciting book ‘the Bible’ In it we can discover our creator God. It’s a journey of discovery looking for truths that we can experience for ourselves like knowing God in a personal way through belief in Jesus. It’s a fact that Jesus existed and was crucified by the Romans and through eye-witness accounts God raised him from the dead. God’s love is real and his love is revealed in Jesus. God’s Spirit brings the Bible’s words to life and searches our hearts to brings us to the foot of the cross our meeting place with God.
Prayer
Dear Lord, open my understanding, the eyes of my heart to know you Jesus, Amen
‘Son of man’ using the RSV Bible translation.
“Bar-adam – Aramaic Ben-adam Hebrew ho huios tou anthropou – Greek
The Hebrew Scriptures
The term son of man ‘ben adam’ is used appears 107 times in the Hebrew Scriptures. This is the most common Hebrew construction for the singular, appearing 93 times in the Book of Ezekiel alone and 14 times elsewhere. In 32 cases, the phrase appears in intermediate plural form “sons of men”
The New Testament Scriptures
The Son of man appears 81 times in the Koine Greek of the four Gospels: 30 times in Matthew, 14 times in Mark, 25 times in Luke and 12 times in John.
Jesus born of a woman
Through Mary his mother God at Jesus conception gave Jesus his flesh and blood. Jesus developed into manhood and probably joined his earthly father Joseph in his work as a carpenter, but Jesus knew his Father was God who gave him life. Luke 2: 49.
The writer of Hebrews quoted Jesus words, “ Consequently, when Jesus came into the world he said, “Sacrifices and burnt offerings thou hast no desire, but a body thou hast prepared for me.” Hebrews 10: 5. Psalm 40: 6-8
God’s plan of salvation through Jesus the second Adam.
The writer of Hebrews wrote, “For it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. It has been testified somewhere, “What is man that thou art mindful of him or the son of man, (ben-adam) that thou carest for him? Thou didst make him a little lower than the angels, thou crowned him with glory and honour, putting everything in subjection under his feet. . . . .But we see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, crowned with glory and honour because of suffering and death, so that by the grace of God, he would taste death for every one.” Hebrews 2: 5-9.
Angels were not created in the image of God, the first man Adam was, “When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. Male and female he created them, and blessed them and named them Man when they were created. When Adam lived one hundred and thirty years he became father of a son in his own likeness, after his image and named him Seth.” Adam’s son in his own likeness, referring to his nature as a result of his separation from God. Genesis 5: 1-3. Luke 3: 38.
The fallen nature of Adam became hereditary passed down the generations in the blood. Life is in the blood and we understand through the Hebrew scriptures that without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin. Hebrews 9: 22.
Therefore, for God to redeem us, Jesus was born as one of us the second Adam.
“Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same nature that through death he might destroy him who has the power of death, that is, the devil and deliver those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong bondage.” Hebrews 2: 14, 15. Colossians 2: 13, 14.
“Jesus entered the holy place, taking not the blood of goats and bulls and calves but his own blood, thus securing eternal redemption. . . . . how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal spirit offered himself without blemish to God.” Hebrews 9: 12, 14
Jesus’ blood was shed for forgiveness of sin and its causes through his death on the cross.
Jesus said in conversation with Nicodemus, “?No one has ascended into heaven, but he who descended from heaven, the Son of man. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up, and whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” John 3: 13, 14.
The incident that Jesus referred to took place during the exodus from Egypt in the wilderness. The Israelites complained to Moses about having no food or water and they loathed the quail and the Manna. The Lord sent snakes among them and some of them were bitten and died. Moses was instructed by God to place a bronze replica of a snake on a pole and when some one was bitten to go and look up at the bronze snake and they would be healed. Numbers 21: 4- 9.
The snake reminds us of how the devil tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and as a result they disobeyed God’s command not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil and their eyes and heart were opened to the influences of the devil.
Jesus being lifted up on the cross replicates the Numbers account:
Mankind has a knowledge of God, but to have fellowship with God we need to look up to Jesus on the cross where he took upon himself the sin of Adam and Eve and he has redeemed mankind from the consequence of sin that results in eternal death. So it’s through repentance he releases us from the devil’s influence and power over us, and in Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, we are raised up from sin and death to become a new creation in Jesus our Lord and Saviour.
We are born of the flesh in Adam, and through faith we are born again in Jesus the second Adam while still in the body of the flesh, receiving the life-giving eternal Spirit. John 3: 5.
Paul wrote, “Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”, the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.” 1 Corinthians 15: 45.
Prayer,
Lord Jesus, how blessed I am to know God as my Father, to feel part of this amazing creation. To know Your love touches everything You have made, Your love sustaining life, even when it’s broken, Your fellowship with Adam, You sought to restore it to its former glory. Jesus you have healed my broken-heart on the cross and breathed your forgiveness over me by the power of the Spirit of love, the Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name, Amen