On This Day: When ‘Son of Man’ Means ‘Son of God’

Then those who had seized Jesus led him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered. And Peter was following him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and going inside he sat with the guards to see the end. Now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death, but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. At last two came forward and said, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to rebuild it in three days.’” And the high priest stood up and said, “Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?” But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” (Matthew 26:57-64)

   It was as I was videoing my vlog about this passage this morning that I realized that Jesus matched the two false witnesses with two witnesses from Scripture. In one sentence he referred to two prophecies that his religious interrogators would immediately know answered the question, “Are you the Christ, the Son of God?!”

   I find it so fascinating to see all the different ways prophecy is first declared and then fulfilled and affirmed. It also stands out that there are prophecies about Jesus “coming” that applied to his first coming, and others that apply to his second (and final) coming.

   In today’s time in the word, there was another contrast as I recalled something that would happen just hours after this debacle of a trial.

   First we are shown the utter hypocrisy of the religious elite who would care nothing that all their witnesses were false as long as two of them agreed. Why is that important? Because the law required that “On the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses the one who is to die shall be put to death; a person shall not be put to death on the evidence of one witness” (Deuteronomy 17:6).

   Isn’t that amazing? It didn’t matter that all the witnesses were false, and that when they finally had two agree on something it wasn’t anything worthy of a death sentence. What mattered to them is simply that they had two witnesses! That was enough for them to demand Jesus’ crucifixion.

   However, when we look ahead to Jesus suffering on the cross along with two thieves, we get this amazing picture of one of the thieves coming to believe in Jesus. He asked, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom” (Luke 23:42). So the high priest and the other religious elite had no understanding that Jesus fulfilled all the Scriptures about the Messiah’s first coming, but a thief who was dying along with Jesus believed Jesus had a kingdom, and believed that Jesus would “come into” this kingdom later even though he was dying. So amazing!

   When Jesus replied, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43), he was affirming that he had an everlasting kingdom just as the prophets foretold, and he would be ready to receive this new disciple into paradise “in spirit” that very day.

   I hope this encourages everyone that both “Son of Man” and “Son of God” speak of Jesus as “the Word who became flesh” to dwell among us. And, as he dwelt among us then, he is coming again to gather all his disciples to be with him forever. So let that dying thief’s example of faith help you settled your eternal standing with God today.

 

© 2024 Monte Vigh ~ Box 517, Merritt, BC, V1K 1B8

Email: in2freedom@gmail.com

Unless otherwise noted, Scriptures are from the English Standard Version (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.)