Titles for Jesus (The Person of Jesus)

Question 1

Jewish wants, prophecies and Jesus in comparison

Answer 1

What did the jews long for: political freedom, justice and peace.

Micah and other prophecies speak of justice in the Messianic age while Jesus talked about a kingdom of God.

Jesus’ beatitudes speak about the poor and marginalised in society.

1 Corinthians15:3-4 Paul talks of the Messiah dying and being buried (contrary to Jewish expectations of the Messiah)

Question 2

Expectations and connotations of Messiahship (refer to sheet on Google Classroom)

Answer 2

warrior, liberator from Roman rule (Zealots)
follower and teacher of written law (Sadducees, Pharisees and Essenes)
priestly heritage (Sadducees, Pharisees)
peace between all (from Isaiah, probably all except Zealots)
repossession of Israel and Davidic rule (from Ezekiel, probably all)
to only care for Israel (all)

Question 3

Did Jesus claim to be the Messiah?

Answer 3

-The early church did
-The gospels show Jesus being wary of the title (Mark 1:40-44 and 8:29-30)
-Matthew 26:64 when asked at his trial he said, “you have said so”
-Mark he says, “I am”
-He most commonly calls himself the Son of Man

Question 4

Jesus as the Messiah

Answer 4

In OT, the Messiah was thought to be someone who would be a King and bring in an eschatological reign
Matthew’s Gospel shows how Jesus understood this mission as Messiah as a mission to die. Peter didn’t understand this, whilst ironically, the High Priest caused this by failing to recognise Jesus for who he was.
When John the Baptist doubted Jesus’ identity (Matthew 11), Jesus positioned him to his miracles. These miracles or signs were a foretaste of the great future Jesus was going to bring as the Messiah. In performing these signs Jesus is fulfilling prophecies in Isaiah about the Messiah, which also show that Jesus will act as saviour and judge.

Question 5

(did Jesus identify himself with the Messiah?) Wrede

Answer 5

Mark joined stories together to suggest a Messianic secret. Jesus kept his identity secret until his trial and crucifixion.

Question 6

(did Jesus identify himself with the Messiah?) Bultmann

Answer 6

Jesus never identified himself with the Messiah.

Question 7

(did Jesus identify himself with the Messiah?) Manson and Bruce

Answer 7

Jesus was wary about using the title because of the trouble it could bring from the Romans. It also may detract form the more spiritual kingdom Jesus was bringing

Question 8

(did Jesus identify himself with the Messiah?) Miller

Answer 8

Jesus constantly rejects power (which the title Messiah represents)

Question 9

Son of Man (general)

Answer 9

Psalms and Ezekiel: son of man as an ordinary human. In Daniel 7:13, the Son of Man is someone with supernatural power.

Antiochus Epiphanes was on the way to destroying the Jewish people and desecrating the temple (so the son of man would help recover the glory of God’s people).

Son of Man was used in the Gospel as an earthly saying, sayings about the son of man’s suffering, sayings about future glory.

Question 10

Scholarly opinions on Son of Man

Answer 10

• Jesus didn’t link the son of man and the kingdom of God
• Jesus used the term son of man so as not to be political (although Daniel 7 is very political)
• some people think that Jesus didn’t identify with the son of man (this fails to read the intention of the gospel writers who show that Jesus claimed to be the son of Man
• Jesus only used the title son of man in an ordinary sense

Question 11

Psalm 8

Answer 11

about the power and glory of God and how it is amazing that God cares for the son of man. The son of man is an ordinary human being. (psalm 8:3-4)

Question 12

Ezekiel (and Son of Man)

Answer 12

is never addressed by name, but 93 times as the son of man out of a total of 99 times in OT. Son of Man identifies Ezekiel as a servant of God (Ezekiel 1:28-2:2)

Question 13

Daniel 7

Answer 13

In the book of Daniel the title refers to someone who has been given God’s power (Daniel 7:13-14).
• The Son of Man has come from heaven
• is identified as a king who is given a kingdom
• is someone who will be worshipped by all nations
• identified with the ancient of days

Question 14

Son of Man vs Son of God

Answer 14

• Daniel 7, on SoM, describes SoM coming down from heaven on clouds as a powerful and glorious figure, and so the Son of Man is divine
• SoG applies to all humans, even Adam was called SoG, and so the Son of God is human
• Jesus has always been fully God, since the beginning
• Son of Man is one who looks like a man but is worshipped alongside God
• is reiterated in revelations
It is wrongly asserted that Son of God refers to Jesus’ deity while Son of Man refers to his humanity
Jesus called himself the Son of Man to conceal his identity and to only reveal it to those who were truly listening

Question 15

Examples of Son of Man (only some are quoted)

Answer 15

Mark 2:10: after the paralysed man is healed and he knew what others were thinking, “the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins”

Mark 2:28: references David and food on the sabbath when accused of working on the sabbath, “the sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath”

Mark 8:31: “He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected”

Mark 8:38: “If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels”

Question 16

Dodd on the Son of Man

Answer 16

felt that the New Testament was only referring to the specific references to the Son of Man in the Psalms (Jesus was not claiming to be the figure in Daniel 7)

Question 17

C.F.D. Moule on Son of Man

Answer 17

the title Son of Man would have resonated to a loyal, martyr group, who believed they would be brought to glory and vindicated through suffering

Question 18

Bultmann on Son of Man

Answer 18

Jesus never used the title Son of Man of himself but the early church applied it to him

Question 19

Howard Marshall on Son of Man

Answer 19

Jesus adopted the term Son of Man just because it was an ambiguous term, revealing as well as hiding his identity

Question 20

Son of God (general, including OT background)

Answer 20

The term Son of God was used for three groups of people in the Old Testament. Mostly it referred to the nation of Israel, conveying an intimate relationship between God and his chosen people.

It was also used for kings who were declared at their coronations to be adopted sons of God. Indicated a special relationship between God and the kings.
Faithful Jews were also called this as they were seen as the true people of God.

Question 21

Pros of using Son of God in the 21st century

Answer 21

• shows Jesus’ real identity and power
• shows God loves humans because he sent his son to save them
• it doesn’t just have a jewish meaning and it is relevant to everyone

Question 22

Cons of the Son of God in the 21st century

Answer 22

• other titles put greater emphasis on humility (Son of Man)
• Christ shows he came to save us as God’s king
• off-putting because it is harder to relate to the Son of God

Question 23

Bateman on Son of God

Answer 23

doubts “Mark’s use of Son of God should be interpreted to speak of Jesus’s deity”. argues that “to impose a Nicean definition on the title ‘Son of God’ is not only anachronistic; it seems to hinder our ability to appreciate Mark’s narrative presentation of Jesus as he intended, which appears to be to present Jesus as ‘the Christ’ who was empowered by God via his Spirit to teach and act with authority as God’s royal ‘Son’”

Question 24

Geza Vermes on Son of God

Answer 24

“it is no exaggeration to contend that the identification of a contemporary historical figure with God would have been inconceivable to a first-century Palestinian Jew”

Question 25

Kasper on Son of God

Answer 25

Jesus never used title Messiah or Son of God but he only claimed “to speak and act in place of God and to be in a unique and un-transferable communion with his Father.”