“You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:5-8 NLT)
“When you are persecuted in one town, flee to the next. I tell you the truth, the Son of Mang will return before you have reached all the towns of Israel.” (Matthew 10:23 NLT)
“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.” (Matthew 14:12 NLT)
Today I want to share why I believe it is critically important that I have a deep revelation knowledge, and awareness, of Jesus as the “Son of Man.” However, before digging in let me once again stress that recognizing the humanity of Jesus does not in any way lesson or deny His deity. Jesus was, is, and always will be the eternal “Son of God.”
Jesus called Himself the “Son of Man” at least 80 times in the New Testament. If I don’t get what it means to the life and ministry of Jesus that He lived and died as the “Son of Man,” I will fall far short of living the life that the Father has planned for me. If I attribute the works of Jesus to the fact that He is the Son of God (deity), then while I will stand in awe and wonder of His many great feats, I will stand as a cheering spectator hoping that one day He will do it again. I will spend my life looking back thinking, “If I only could have been with Jesus when He walked this earth I would have witnessed His miracle working power.” Or I build a theology that leaves me placing more faith and expectation in His return than I have in the Gospel. I look around me and think, “This world is a mess. It sure needs Jesus. I hope He comes back soon and straightens things out.” It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that the answer to this world’s needs is Jesus here in bodily form (after all He is God). While this makes great sense to my religious mind, it completely contradicts what Jesus said before He went back to Heaven… …””But now I am going to Him who sent me; and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts [and taken complete possession of them]. But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor-Counselor, Strengthener, Standby) will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him (the Holy Spirit) to you [to be in close fellowship with you]. And He, when He comes, will convict the world about [the guilt of] sin [and the need for a Savior], and about righteousness, and about judgment: about sin [and the true nature of it], because they do not believe in Me [and My message]; about righteousness [personal integrity and godly character], because I am going to My Father and you will no longer see Me; about judgment [the certainty of it], because the ruler of this world (Satan) has been judged and condemned.”(John 16:5-11 AMP)
Jesus made it clear that it is better for the fulfillment of the Father’s plan for this World if He is not here in bodily form. The Spirit impressed in my spirit that I should be happy that Jesus is not here (let that sink in). I am no longer looking back, or jumping ahead, of my Father’s plan. Instead I am going do what the Son of Man did when He walked this earth. I am going to carry out the Father’s design and desire for humanity in the power of the Holy Spirit!
Jesus clearly said that I “will do” (not “can do” or “may do”) the works that He did, and even greater works than He did. This was a directive, not a suggestion. If He did His works as God, then either He was delusional, unrealistic, or downright unfair in expecting this of me. However, if He did what He did as a man completely sold out to the design and desire (Will) of the Father, empowered by the Holy Spirit, then His directive for me to do the same is completely fair and reasonable. Knowing Him as the Son of Man radically changes everything.
The Spirit seems to be leading me to stop here so we can let this sink in before moving deeper.
Let’s take some time to prayerfully meditate on what has been said in…
…Eric’s Life Lesson # 114: “Only when I truly see Jesus am I able to accurately see the Father, myself, or those around me.” Part 4: Son of Man continued