Son of Man - Being a Leader who Responds

Son of Man (part 3)

So far I have established that when Jesus used the phrase Son of Man to reference himself, he was not only illuminating his humanity but also his authority. To better understand the weight of authority carried by claiming to be the Son of Man read Part 1 of this series discussing Daniel 7.

In several places in the Gospel of Mark, Jesus calls himself the Son of Man not only to establish his authority as the Messiah but also to display the type of leader and ruler he will be (which is much different than the authority his disciples expect). Since Christ can be understood as the fully functional image of God, as image bearers we should take serious how he demonstrates his authority.

Mark 2:23 -28 offers us another great insight into the leadership of the Son of Man.

One Sabbath day as Jesus was walking through some grain fields, his disciples began breaking off heads of grain to eat. But the Pharisees said to Jesus, “Look why are they breaking the law by harvesting grain on the Sabbath?”

Jesus said to them, “Haven’t you ever read in the Scriptures what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He went into the house of God(during the days when Abiathar was high priest) and broke the law by eating the sacred loaves of bread that only the priests are allowed to eat. He also gave some to his companions.”

Then Jesus said, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people. And not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath.”

Again Jesus makes a very serious claim in this passage about the extent of his authority. Not only does his draw attention to himself by claiming to be the Son of Man he uses a very specific example by comparing himself to David. He references a time in David’s life when he is running from Saul. David has been already anointed to be King but yet to be enthroned. Like Saul, the current leadership doesn’t want a new kingdom to be inaugurated in His name.

As Jesus establishes the strength of his authority he also demonstrates the nature of how he will rule. He recognizes that the laws and standards already created are designed to meet the needs of his people. His interest in allowing the people a system has always come out of his heart to serve and to lead people toward God’s intended will for them.

The current establishment thought that if Jesus was going to be a proper ruler he would have to judge right and wrong by the rulebook. After all that is the only way to make a fair decision.

Jesus doesn’t dismiss rules or tradition as bad. He doesn't say they are not worth submitting our authority to. But he does recognize that there are situations when the system, despite its good intent, fails to meet the best interest of the people it intends to serve.

As the leader of the kingdom He is creating and inviting us into, Christ demonstrates the humility and maturity it takes to look into every situation with enough care and respond appropriately in the best interest of his people. 




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