“THE SON OF MAN”
We sang of the Lord Jesus,
‘As Son of man, of all the theme’ (Hymn 274),
and this reference to “the Son of man” was what was before me, with the desire that we should be helped in understanding the glory that the Lord Jesus has as the One who is “the Son of man”. There is a distinctiveness to this in John's gospel. We know that in the other gospels, which we often refer to as the synoptic gospels, the Lord Jesus, generally, when He speaks of Himself, refers to “the Son of man”. I think that brings in the grace of His position, that He has come in to link Himself with humanity, so that He should be here on man's behalf.
But there is a distinctiveness in the way in which the title appears in John's gospel. Here we have Nathanael, who it seems was very well instructed and intelligent in the truth as it was known then, and he has discerned the glory that belongs to the Lord Jesus. He uses these three titles – of “Rabbi” and “Son of God” and “the King of Israel”. It would be very interesting for the dear young people to spend some time in John 1 and to look at all the different titles by which the Lord Jesus is drawn to our attention in that chapter, for there are many of them. He is the Son. He is the One here who is distinguished. This was Nathanael's intelligent response; he spoke about what he observed. The Lord Jesus says, “Thou shalt see greater things than these”. Now, Nathanael was perhaps confined in his thoughts to Israel, because he was an Israelite himself in whom there was no guile, and the Lord Jesus introduces Himself as related to something that is greater and wider. “Rabbi, thou art the Son of God, thou art the King of Israel”, as relating to Israel, is something of glory, but God is in Christ introducing something that is greater and wider. The Son of God, of course, is a very interesting title. Nathanael would have been intelligent, intelligent in the Psalms. In Psalm 2 there is One spoken of who is the Son of God and the king of Israel (vv.6,7) but the Lord would introduce something greater. You could not say in broad terms that “the Son of man” is a title greater than “Son of God”, but I think in this context, where it is confined to Israel, there is something that God has in mind to introduce in another Man who has His glory as “the Son of man”.
Now, it is difficult to define what is particularly in mind in this title “Son of man”. I desire, I trust with the Lord’s help, to consider the Scriptures and how they display this Person. As we do that, they will teach us what is the glory and the distinction of the One who is “the Son of man”. The first thing that is brought before the attention of Nathanael and those with him is that they “shall see the heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of man”. That is, “the Son of man” is the One who has come in from God's side and on our behalf, and as the link between earth and heaven. There could not have been a link of any kind between earth and heaven, apart from the Lord Jesus coming in. That is part of the glory that is displayed here, that “the Son of man” is the One through whom there is that link between earth and heaven.
I refer to two further scriptures: “And no one has gone up into heaven, save he who came down out of heaven, the Son of man who is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, thus must the Son of man be lifted up, that every one who believes on him may not perish, but have life eternal”, John 3:13-15. And then, “If then ye see the Son of man ascending up where he was before?” (chap.6:62). Now the reference to “the Son of man who is in heaven” is beyond any human explication or explanation. Here is a Man, the Lord Jesus Christ, in His glory as the Son of man on this earth, in this scene, and Nicodemus is before Him. The Lord is speaking to him, and yet He can speak of Himself and the glories He has as “the Son of man who is in heaven”. You can see that all the excellence and the virtue and the value of heaven is available, is brought near, because of the glory and the majesty of “the Son of man”. For the Lord to say what He said means that this is a divine title. It is only God Himself, One who is personally God, who could speak in this way and say, when here upon this earth, “the Son of man who is in heaven”.
It is a title before which we bow down, and you see the glory that there is that brings in the whole excellence of heaven. “No one has gone up into heaven, save he who came down out of heaven”. That is the One spoken of as “the Word became flesh” (John 1:14), the Person who was here as having come down from heaven, and He has come down from heaven having all the fragrance, all the power, all the grace of heaven and making it available to this man, Nicodemus, if he has the faith to enter into it. For us to enter fully into this depends of course on the presence of the Holy Spirit. But this glorious person, the Son of man, is bringing heaven’s excellence and glory to bear: “no one has gone up into heaven, save he who came down out of heaven”. He has the right and the glory and the power to be in heaven, to go into heaven, yet also to speak here of Himself as “the Son of man who is in heaven”. And as referred to in John 6, there is then a question: “If then ye see the Son of man ascending up where he was before?”. That is a test for man. There is a test for every one of us, for we think of the glory of One who is indigenous to heaven, native to heaven, yet here in this scene in the glory of manhood as the Son of man.
Then, to refer back to chapter 3, the Lord in speaking, immediately moves from that excellent opening of the glory of One who is divine, “the Son of man who is in heaven”, to say, “as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, thus must the Son of man be lifted up”; that is, to be lifted up on the cross, lifted up to die. Think of that: the glory of One who has come in in this way and who has such majesty and such excellence that He can speak of Himself as “the Son of man who is in heaven”, yet He immediately goes on to refer to the fact that the Son of man must be lifted up. He must be lifted up if you are to come into blessing; He must be lifted up if you are going to know all the fragrance and the greatness of what there is in heaven. He must be lifted up if the fulness of God's purpose is to be accomplished. It is wonderful that Christ should be set forth and spoken of in this way as “the Son of man”: “thus must the Son of man be lifted up, that every one who believes on him may not perish, but have life eternal”. You have an object of your faith in “the Son of man”. You have an object of your faith in the One whom God has provided for you, to take up all the issues that lie upon you so that you can enter into the fulness and the enjoyment of what God has in mind in life eternal.
We know the next verse, John 3:16, very well. It presents to us the heart of God and the love of God. That is its presentation: God's love is so great that He has given His Son. But these verses prior to that, 14 and 15, show the excellence of this Person, “the Son of man” who has to be lifted up, and all that it meant to be lifted up. The reference goes back to the serpent lifted up (Num.21:9). Think of that, when all the many types set out in the Old Testament sacrifices were there: how excellent they were, and how wonderful. Look at the bullock, or the ram caught in the thicket, or any of these offerings that attract your attention, or consider the excellence of the ark. The same One spoken of in these types has taken the position of being lifted up. The Lord Jesus, the Son of man, has been lifted up, He had to be lifted up. That figure of the serpent brings in the fact that this One has taken on Himself everything needed to address man's condition in sin, and that for you to live you must fix your eyes upon Him, fix your eyes upon the One who has been lifted up.
John’s gospel brings in further references to the Lord Jesus as lifted up. “Jesus therefore said to them, When ye shall have lifted up the Son of man, then ye shall know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself, but as the Father has taught me I speak these things” (chap.8:28). To revert to what is in my mind in this, as we look at all these references we are to gain cumulatively an impression of what this title “the Son of man” means; to know what it is. When the Lord says, “thus must the Son of man be lifted up” (chap.3:14), He is viewed as lifted up according to divine purpose. But here in chapter 8 there is a responsibility laid upon man, the Jew particularly, but on man as a race. The Son of man has come in, in all the greatness that belongs to Him, introducing the heavenly light that He brings in, and what is man's response to that? It is that this One should be lifted up, lifted up to die. He was lifted up according to God's thoughts that there should be what is distinguished, because, as it has been said, it was not appropriate for One of such greatness and glory – who fulfilled the divine will and purpose – to die on the earth1. But from man's side, He was lifted up to degrade Him, so that this should be displayed. That is the heart of man and we have to learn that. The answer to man's way of treating the Son of man is to see the excellence of the Son of man lifted up according to God's thoughts, and to appreciate that excellence.
There is one other reference to the lifting up, and that comes later. It does not specifically refer to the Son of man, but it brings men in. The Lord says, “and I, if I be lifted up out of the earth, will draw all to me”, John 12:32. You can see how wonderful it is that you have this attractive Person, and you have individuals, persons who have been affected by the glory and by the excellence and by the availability of the Son of man, and they are drawn to Him. I trust that sounds attractive, and that we have an impression of the excellence of this One who has been lifted up on our behalf, the One who was lifted up to take up liabilities, the One who has been lifted up so that everything should be fulfilled for God. We are drawn to Him; our view has been drawn to this One: “I, if I be lifted up out of the earth, will draw all to me”. How wonderful that He has drawn so many to Him. I trust all here have been drawn to Him. Have you been drawn to the Son of man, to this Person?
Now I would like to refer to these persons in this section who say, “and how sayest thou that the Son of man must be lifted up? Who is this, the Son of man?” (v.34). We see here man’s view, man’s contempt for such a One. I do not think that these were honest inquiries. So let us each take this up: let there be honest inquiry that we should know what the excellence of the Son of man is as set out in these verses.
I now want to look at another reference: “and has given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is Son of man”, John 5:27. You can say, look at the fairness of God, that He should give judgment into the hands of this One, the One who has done so much for you, and who has done so much for God. God says, as it were, ‘The judgment is going to be in the hands of this same One’, a Man who has come here, who has been here as a Man and as the Son of man, sympathising; think of His sympathies, think of His grace, think of the way He has brought in the glory of heaven. This is the One who is going to be the judge. This verse comes in amid a few references to the Son of God. The Son of God is the One who has power to raise the dead: in verse 25, there is “the voice of the Son of God” raising the dead: that is, persons who are morally dead now. How wonderful it is that there is One who is going to do that. He is actually going to raise the dead too, but it is “the Son of man” who will execute judgment. He is entitled to do it because of the way in which He has secured things for God.
As we think of the present time, of the testimony, we see the need that it should be maintained until such time as we are caught up, and so we need food. Where will we get it from? Chapter 6 of John’s gospel is of course the great food chapter. In that chapter, the Lord Jesus Himself says, “Work not for the food which perishes, but for the food which abides unto life eternal” (v.27). Where are you going to get it? The verse goes on, “which the Son of man shall give to you”. And then He adds this wonderful reference, “for him has the Father sealed, even God”. Think about that, a Man here, walking in this scene, and He is sealed by God. The Son of man has been sealed by the Father – “for him has the Father sealed”. Think of all this affection, the fulness and richness of divine approval, shown in the fact that the Father, in His affection, should seal Him. That is the mark of His approval upon Christ: “him has the Father sealed”. And in relation to the Father as His Father, we see especially in John's gospel how attractively the Father and the Son were together. How attractive it is to see the Father and the Son working together (see chap.5:17-19); the Father showing things to the Son (v.20); the Father as the One who is giving Him food to eat; the Father marking every step of the Lord Jesus with approval, “him has the Father sealed”.
Then the Lord adds, “even God”. The scripture says, “to us there is one God, the Father”, 1 Cor.8:6. It is not only that there is the Father's affectionate response, but that of God, that God Himself has sealed Him. God would put upon Him that seal of His own approval. And that One is glorified as the Son of man. What is He doing now? He is providing you with food. “Work not for the food which perishes”: there is much that men feed upon in this scene that is of no value. There was a time in history when great value was placed on an ass’s head for food. That is the world just now, placing value on an ass’s head and a cab of dove’s dung (see 2 Kings 6:25). That is what the world does. It values things which are of no value, which are unclean, and it feeds itself upon them. But here you have the opportunity, the possibility, of feeding upon what the Son of man would give you, the food which abides unto life eternal.
But then, what is it? What is this food? The chapter is full of these different impressions of the excellence of that Man. There is food in the Man in His suffering; there is food in the Man in the glory; there is food in every facet of Christ's life and His glory. Here it says, “Jesus therefore said to them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Unless ye shall have eaten the flesh of the Son of man, and drunk his blood, ye have no life in yourselves” (chap.6:53). Now this verse might seem somewhat mysterious; you might ask, ‘Have I done this? How do I know?’. You examine yourself and you see that there is life there. You look at yourself and find there is life according to God there, that is not life in the flesh; it is not in anything that comes from man as man, but you find you have some life, some spiritual life. Where does it come from? You have been feeding; you have begun to feed on the Son of man. You have begun to feed on the flesh and the blood, but then you have to continue.
And that brings in exercise, moral exercise as to what His death involves, that you have died with Him. His death is the end of you as a man of that natural order. “What is man?” (that is, Enosh, weak, mortal man), the psalmist says (Ps.8:4) – nothing, finished, dead. He is finished at the cross of Christ. The Son of man in His excellence is ready to be crowned with glory and splendour (v.5), yet in the way He went, in giving Himself, He provided food, and you feed on that and you become like Him, you become like that One. There is a lovely poem about that in one of the poetry books, which speaks about what the saints feed upon, and of these saints it says, ‘For as their food are they’2. Is that you? There is a moral change that comes from feeding on a different kind of food.
Now there are two references, later in John’s gospel, to the Son of man and glorification. The first is: “But Jesus answered them saying, The hour is come that the Son of man should be glorified. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except the grain of wheat falling into the ground die, it abides alone; but if it die, it bears much fruit” (chap.12:23,24). This is in the context of the Greeks coming, and perhaps the disciples were somewhat pleased to see some interest from the Greeks. The Lord says in answer to that, “The hour is come that the Son of man should be glorified”. That is, the One whom we have seen in all His accomplishments and all His excellence, is going to have a place. He now has that place at the Father’s right hand, crowned with glory and honour, everything accomplished, everything excellent.
But then immediately He goes on to speak about the grain of wheat. It means that there are going to be persons associated with Him, persons who are kindred with Him, who have their spiritual origin in the death of Christ. “Except the grain of wheat falling into the ground die, it abides alone”: think of the excellence that there could have been, in one sense, eternally before the eye of God, in simply looking at Christ alone. Yet the desire of God was not only to have Christ, not only to have that Man in excellence in flesh and blood as He was here, but to have others who are of the same origin, the same character formed by Him. How wonderful that we can have that part and will know it eternally: our part will be with this One. It is nothing to do with the wisdom of the Greeks, nothing to do with the law that the Jews had, nothing to do with the signs that the Jews had; these things are all finished, and the Son of man is set up in a different order and level of excellence.
The second reference is in chapter 13, where it says: “When therefore he” (that is Judas) “was gone out Jesus says, Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him” (v.31). Where was the Son of man to be glorified? In this setting, He was glorified in what He was going to endure; excellence was going to come out in what He would endure following this. There is a glory that comes out immediately, because Judas had gone out and you see what man is in Judas – the depth of evil that would betray his Master and Lord, betray One whom the Lord could address as “friend”, Matt.26:50. Judas would betray the Lord with a kiss; he had that intimacy with Him. The Psalms bring out the Lord’s feelings about it (Ps.41:9; 55:12,13). The excellence to God came out in the Lord Jesus in His response to Judas; excellence according to God came out in every step of His blessed humiliation, until there on the cross where Christ endured everything, and where He had to be made what was so distasteful to God, when He was made sin. Yet, if He was made sin, it was in that place, at that time, that the purest and the greatest and the fullest of the excellence of what there was in the manhood of Christ was displayed. Think of the glory and the wonder of the moral excellence of the Son of man: “Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him”. There has been a whole race of men, and God has not been glorified in one of them. But in Christ, God is fully satisfied, fully glorified, fully displayed in excellence, the excellence of knowledge of God's moral nature, every aspect of that made known as the Son of man is glorified. How wonderful to have an association with such a Man.
Well, these are the references to ponder in John's gospel. There are other references, including one which is so attractive, regarding Stephen. Stephen at the time of his martyrdom – what was he doing? He was looking up (Acts 7:54-60). Here is a man with a link to heaven. He has gained that understanding, he has learned that, that there is a Man who is the connection between heaven and earth. Every connection that there is, is by that Man. I do not take away from the activity of the Holy Spirit, of course, but that too depends on the work of Christ. Who does Stephen see there? He says, “Lo, I behold the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing at the right hand of God” (v.56).
And that position, perhaps not standing, but that position of the Son of man at the right hand of God remains. Think of that: He is there; Hebrews brings in that He is seated there; He is crowned with glory and honour (chap.2:9). How wonderful that that Man is there! He is waiting, waiting to come for you to take you away with all His saints. There is nothing that is ever going to be seen that is so excellent as when you see His face, when you hear His voice; how wonderful to think of the voice of Jesus. We wait, and as far as we can, by faith and by the Spirit, we are to fix our eyes on heaven, as Stephen did. Heaven continues to hold a Man in all His glory and excellence.
I trust we will be helped to have that Man before us and be helped in our response to Him
whichever title or whichever glory of His is brought before us.
For the Lord's name's sake.
Address in Dundee
2 November 2024
David C Brown