Jesus: In His Own Words—Son of Man

“I am a historian, I am not a believer. But I must confess as a historian that this penniless preacher from Nazareth is irrevocably the very center of history.” – H.G. Wells

Perhaps one of the most important conversations on earth today is the question: Who is Jesus? The Scriptures reveal the truth of His life, death, and resurrection with absolute accuracy, but even beyond the Bible, historical sources affirm that Jesus was real.

Consider what the Roman historian Tacitus wrote in A.D. 116:

“Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus… not only in Judaea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their centre and become popular.”

Other historical voices—Roman lawyer and author Pliny the Younger, Jewish historian Josephus, Greek historian Thallus, and Greek satirist Lucian—also reference Jesus, confirming His existence.

So if Jesus was real, who is He? Many describe Him as a teacher, philosopher, moral leader, religious figure, or humanitarian, but Jesus’ own words provide the clearest picture of who He is and what He is like.

The title Jesus used most often for Himself is “Son of Man,” appearing 81 times in the Gospels. What does this mean?

Luke 1:35 says:

“The angel answered, ‘The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.’”

And Luke 2:1-7 describes His birth:

“In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world… So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem, the town of David… While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.”

These passages show us that Jesus is both fully human and fully divine—a biological child born through a miraculous conception. He was a real person who experienced displacement as a child (Matthew 2:13-22), learned his father’s trade, grew up in a small town, and traveled to the big city (Luke 2:41-51). He played in the streets, attended synagogue, and lived the rhythms of ordinary life.

Consider His humanity.

Jesus knows what it feels like to have a tear roll down your cheek.

He knows the frustration of betrayal.

He knows how to enjoy dancing, and celebration.

He faced temptation, discouragement, and misunderstanding.

He experienced rejection and grief.

He knows us.

Why did Jesus refer to Himself as the Son of Man?

To allude to His identity (see Daniel 7:13-14, John 1:51, John 3:13, Luke 6:5, Matthew 25:31, Matthew 9:6).

And to highlight the values of the Kingdom of God—humility and service (see Mark 10:45, Luke 19:10, Matthew 8:10, Luke 9:22).

Philippians 2:6-8 describes His posture perfectly:

“Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!”

Jesus is both the center of history and intimately acquainted with humanity—fully God, fully man, fully able to understand, rescue, and lead us. His life is rooted in real places, real moments, and real suffering so that we might trust His words, believe His identity, and come face to face with the One who is Truth itself.