So there is a certain enticing but also profound ambiguity to the term, and Jesus intentionally selected the term because it signified so much. The clear connotation is that "Son of Man" was a humble, submissive sort of reference that Christ used to emphasize his mission of service to God and God's children in a manner that did not denounce his predecessors, but instead emphasized that he had evolved from them.
Did Jesus believe that he was evolved from the prophets or that He was the fulfillment of what they were prophesying about?
Also, I think in characteristic fashion, Jesus used this as kind of a way of maintaining self-deference and de-emphasizing personal power (along the lines of "of myself, I am nothing; the Father within, he does the works"), an antithesis of more worshipful, glorifying, power-centric titles that the people of the time favored, but could be interpreted as boastful or arrogant. And these are things that Jesus always avoided, partly because he knew they were completely discordant with the nature of the real relationships between God and man, and man and man.
IMO, Jesus was always looking to bring others into His world. He had/has something amazing, a hidden treasure that He desired to offer to others. This gift could only be obtained by a humble heart that was willing to be reborn. When I read the gospels, I do not so much see Jesus deflecting worship, glory, or power. He accepts the praise as one who is bound to God in such a profound way as to be able to say, "If you have seen me you have seen the Father". Jesus was a man. But I cannot help but see that there was something more to this man that sets him apart and makes him worthy of praise and adoration. |
