The “Son of Man” or the “Human One”

John 5:25-30, NLT

“And I assure you that the time is coming, indeed it’s here now, when the dead will hear my voice—the voice of the Son of God. And those who listen will live.  The Father has life in himself, and he has granted that same life-giving power to his Son.   And he has given him authority to judge everyone because he is the Son of Man.  Don’t be so surprised! Indeed, the time is coming when all the dead in their graves will hear the voice of God’s Son,  and they will rise again. Those who have done good will rise to experience eternal life, and those who have continued in evil will rise to experience judgment.  I can do nothing on my own. I judge as God tells me. Therefore, my judgment is just, because I carry out the will of the one who sent me, not my own will.

                I have generally used the Common English Bible (CEB) translation for our journey through the gospel of John.  I depart from it today because it translates the title that Jesus uses to refer to Himself as “the Human One”  When I first saw this translation, I had a visceral reaction.  I don’t mind saying that I hated the translation.  I wondered if it would grow on me in time, but no. . . white hot dislike persists. 

                Almost all other English translations quote Jesus referring to Himself as the “Son of Man.”  This oft referenced title for Jesus in Christian circles has taken on a lot of diverse theological baggage.  This is precisely why the translators of the CEB wanted to go in a different direction.  Their aim was to render a translation that more literally reflects the original Greek and Aramaic (the language Jesus spoke).  I have to say that while I respect that, I don’t have to like it.

                Most likely, Jesus used this term to emphasize his humanity, while at the same time, recognizing that that He is a human being with a divinely ordained purpose.  Jesus was also almost certainly recalling a vision from the Book of Daniel to more fully reveal the nature of that divine purpose.  Here is an excerpt from the vision of Daniel:             

As my vision continued that night, I saw someone like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient One and was led into his presence.  He was given authority, honor, and sovereignty over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him. His rule is underlined emphasis added)

I explain all this to say that the “Son of Man” is a better translation in my opinion because it encourages the reader to become curious about what that term means.  And what it means is much richer than simply Jesus is human.  He is a human who has the authority of God because, as we talked about in the previous reflection, Jesus and God are One.  He has dominion over the dead and the living because God has that dominion. 

                So the CEB translators may have actually been on to something.  My upset about “the human one”  made me (and many others) think more carefully about why I(we) have an attachment to the more traditional “Son of Man.”  Come to think of it, that may have been their real aim.  If so, mission accomplished.

Question:  What do you believe about the nature of Jesus’s humanity?

Prayer:  Lord, You know our thoughts and feelings because You were one of us.  In fact You revealed to us how to be perfectly human.  Help us follow Your example.  Amen.

Prayer Focus:  Pray for all of our elected leaders today.

Song:  We All Need Jesus – Danny Gokey (feat. Korynn Hawthorne)