Jesus was truly God—but He was also truly man, and the Scriptures call Him “the Son of man.” He was genuinely human: a real body, a living soul, real feelings, real weariness, real temptation—tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin:
For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15).
When you read the Gospels, you notice something remarkable: over and over, Jesus preferred to call Himself “the Son of man.” It is His favorite title for Himself, appearing about eighty times. And He used it in close connection with His mission—not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many:243
- “For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45; cf. Matthew 20:28).
- “The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners” (Matthew 11:19).
- “Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him” (John 13:31).
- “The Son of man must suffer many things… and be killed, and after three days rise again” (Mark 8:31).
- “Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God” (Luke 22:69).
The title is beautifully fitted to who He is. “Son of man” speaks of His true humanity and His lowliness—He is one of us, bone of our bone. Yet it also carries a hidden glory, for the prophet Daniel had seen “one like the Son of man” coming with the clouds of heaven to receive an everlasting kingdom (Daniel 7:13–14). So even this humble title, which Jesus loved, quietly joined His humanity to His divine majesty. At His trial He said the High Priest would one day see “the Son of man… coming in the clouds of heaven”—and the High Priest tore his robes, for he understood it as a claim to be that divine figure.
A Truly Human Life
Because He was one hundred percent man in flesh and blood, Jesus lived a genuinely human life. He knew our ordinary experiences from the inside:
- He ate and drank at table with others (Matthew 9:9–17; Mark 2:13–22; Luke 5:27–39).
- He grew tired and slept—even through a storm (Matthew 8:24; Mark 4:38–40).
- He wept—at a graveside, and over a city (John 11:35; Luke 19:41).
- He went to a wedding and shared in its joy (John 2:1–10).
- He paid the temple tax, taking His place among His people (Matthew 17:24–27).
He was hungry and thirsty; He felt sorrow and joy; He knew what it was to be misunderstood, betrayed, and abandoned. And yet—here is the wonder—through it all He never once sinned. Though tempted in every way as we are, He never gave in (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 John 3:5; 1 Peter 1:19; Hebrews 2:18).
Think of what this means for you. Because Jesus lived a fully human life, He knows exactly what you are going through. When you face trials, temptations, grief, or fear, He is not a distant deity looking on from far away. He has walked the very path you walk. He has felt the pull of temptation more fiercely than you ever will—because only the one who resists to the end feels temptation’s full force—and He did not give in. And so He is able, as our sympathizing High Priest, to come alongside us with mercy and strength.
Whatever you are facing—doubt, fear, addiction, a moral struggle, a crushing loss—Jesus understands. He has been there. He knows how hard it is. But He did not break; and because He did not, He is able now to give you the strength, wisdom, and grace you need to stand. The Scriptures invite us to run to Him when we are tempted, to make Him our refuge and our dwelling place (Psalm 91), the One to whom we flee for help and comfort and power to resist. He will answer, because He has worn our flesh and knows our frame.
Jesus is not a distant, detached God. He is a Savior who has shared our human life and can meet us exactly where we are. When temptation strikes, remember: you have an Advocate who knows precisely what you are going through, and who stands ready to help. Jesus—truly God, truly man. A great mystery.
Notes
- 243. “Son of man” (Hebrew ben adam, Aramaic bar enash) carries two dimensions in Scripture. On the one hand it simply means “a human being,” underscoring Jesus’ genuine humanity and humility (cf. Ps. 8:4; Ezek. 2:1). On the other hand it echoes the majestic heavenly figure of Daniel 7:13–14—“one like the Son of man” who comes with the clouds and receives everlasting dominion—a passage Jesus applied to Himself at His trial (Matt. 26:64), which the high priest at once understood as a claim to divine authority. Thus the title Jesus used most binds together His true humanity and His divine glory. See the discussion in George E. Ladd, A Theology of the New Testament, rev. ed. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1993), 145–158. ↩