Sermon Nugget: Son of Man
By Elizabeth Prata
A sermon nugget for me is a moment during a sermon when my attention is grabbed even harder than my usual attention. It’s because the preacher makes a connection to something or gives me new information. It’s an ‘explode the moment’ like we were taught in writing class, when some smaller part of what I’m learning takes over the moment and becomes a fascination.
This past Sunday that happened during our church service when our pastor made a connection from Mark back to Daniel 7.
The following is summarized from the sermon I heard where the preacher made the connection, and summary of some Commentaries:
In Mark 2:10b-11 we read,
But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralyzed man, “I say to you, get up, pick up your pallet, and go home.”
I underlined ‘the Son of Man’ above because that is the nugget. The term Son of Man was Jesus’ favorite name for Himself during His incarnation. For this nugget we go back to Daniel 7:13 and make a connection there. The Prophet Daniel sees a vision involving the Ancient of Days … and Someone else.
“I kept looking in the night visions,
And behold, with the clouds of heaven
One like a son of man was coming,
And He came up to the Ancient of Days
And was presented before Him.”
This term Son of Man occurs nowhere else in the Old Testament where it refers to the Second Person of the Trinity. When it occurs it refers to the Prophet himself (Ezekiel). It does occur many times in the New Testament. It was Jesus’ favorite expression or title for Himself.
In Daniel’s vision it’s obvious that the title refers to the Messiah. In the Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary they explain the Daniel verse, “Son of man” expresses His VISIBLE state formerly in his humiliation hereafter in His exaltation. He “comes to the Ancient of days” to be invested with the kingdom.”
So now notice the difference in language from Daniel to Mark. In Daniel the prophet wrote one LIKE A a son of man was coming.
In Mark we read But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralyzed man,
Here Jesus is identifying Himself as THE Son of Man, that He is here, and that He has the authority [from heaven] to forgive sins. This makes Him God.
The Scribes even knew that only God can forgive sins. When Jesus said the paralyzed man’s sins were forgiven, they internally wondered, But some of the scribes were sitting there and thinking it over in their hearts, “Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins except God alone?”
Jesus’ statement in reply was to formally answer their mental musings (and His omniscience is on display, they should have gotten a clue at that stage!], but Jesus cements it when He used that title by calling Himself the prophesied Messiah. In an in your face confirmation, He healed the paralytic too.
Remember, signs and healings were to confirm Him as Messiah, and to confirm His designated Apostles as His true ambassadors carrying heaven’s message.
He is not like a son of man, He IS THE Son of Man! A prophecy fulfilled, a promise fulfilled, a vision in heaven realized on earth. Him calling Himself the Son of Man was the beginning of the end stages of the long-prophesied Messiah. How heartbreaking the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes missed it.
Jesus is who He says He is. He accomplished what He came here to do. It is finished!
