INTRODUCTION
On the four Sundays of Advent, we are preparing to celebrate the birth of Christ by looking at what the gospels of Matthew and Luke tell us about who Jesus is. On the first Sunday of Advent, we learned what it means when Matthew tells us in the first verse of his gospel that Jesus is the Son of David. Last Sunday, we learned what it means when Matthew tells us in that same verse that Jesus is the Son of Abraham. Today we will learn what it means when Jesus calls Himself the Son of Man over and over again in Matthew and in all of the other gospels as well.
CALL TO WORSHIP Matthew 24:26 and 27
So, if they say to you, ‘Lo, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out; if they say, ‘Lo, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of man.
PRAYER
Mighty God, in this hectic season of buying and baking, feasts and festivities, help us to focus not on the gifts which we will be giving or the ones which we will be receiving. Help us to focus instead of the greatest gift ever given, the gift of Your Son.
Help us to focus not just on the past, not just on our childhood memories, not just on our family traditions or even our church traditions, but on the wondrous change which can come to our lives and to the lives of those around us when we accept the gift of the Christ Child anew this Christmas.
And help us to look forward to more than this. Prepare us to welcome Christ Jesus, the Son of Man, when He returns in clouds of glory, and give us a sense of urgency as we urge others to be prepared for this same great event. All these things we ask in the name of Your mighty Son Jesus, the Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham, the Son of Man, the Son of God. Amen.
OLD TESTAMENT READING Daniel 7:1-14 RSV
In the first year of Belshaz′zar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream and visions of his head as he lay in his bed. Then he wrote down the dream, and told the sum of the matter. 2 Daniel said, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. 3 And four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another. 4 The first was like a lion and had eagles’ wings. Then as I looked its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand upon two feet like a man; and the mind of a man was given to it. 5 And behold, another beast, a second one, like a bear. It was raised up on one side; it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth; and it was told, ‘Arise, devour much flesh.’ 6 After this I looked, and lo, another, like a leopard, with four wings of a bird on its back; and the beast had four heads; and dominion was given to it. 7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, terrible and dreadful and exceedingly strong; and it had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces, and stamped the residue with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns. 8 I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots; and behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things.
9 As I looked, thrones were placed and one that was ancient of days took his seat; his raiment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames, its wheels were burning fire. 10 A stream of fire issued and came forth from before him; a thousand thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him; the court sat in judgment, and the books were opened.
11 I looked then because of the sound of the great words which the horn was speaking. And as I looked, the beast was slain, and its body destroyed and given over to be burned with fire. 12 As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a season and a time. 13 I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. 14 And to him was given dominion and glory and kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.
NEW TESTAMENT READING Revelation 14:14-16
14 Then I looked, and lo, a white cloud, and seated on the cloud one like a son of man, with a golden crown on his head, and a sharp sickle in his hand. 15 And another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to him who sat upon the cloud, “Put in your sickle, and reap, for the hour to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.” 16 So he who sat upon the cloud swung his sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped.
COMMENTS
The first two Sundays in Advent, we looked at two of the ways that Matthew introduces Jesus in the first verse of his gospel, which, of course, is also the first verse of the New Testament. First, we discussed what it means that Jesus is the Son of David, and then we discussed what it means that Jesus is the Son of Abraham. Today, we are looking at the way that Jesus speaks of Himself 28 times in this gospel, and 78 times altogether. Why does Jesus call Himself “the Son of Man”? Whole books have been written on this subject, and different bible scholars have very different opinions. But rather than starting with the opinions of these scholars, let’s look at the way that Jesus Himself uses this term “Son of Man” in the Gospel of Matthew. We will be hearing four brief passages and one longer one.
FIRST GOSPEL READING Matthew 13:40-43
40 Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the close of the age. 41 The Son of man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, 42 and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.
SECOND GOSPEL READING Matthew 16:24-27
24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what shall a man give in return for his life? 27 For the Son of man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay every man for what he has done.
THIRD GOSPEL READING Matthew 19:23-30
23 And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, it will be hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
25 When the disciples heard this they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” 26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
27 Then Peter said in reply, “Lo, we have left everything and followed you. What then shall we have?”
28 Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of man shall sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And every one who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. 30 But many that are first will be last, and the last first.
FOURTH GOSPEL READING Matthew 24:23-51
23 Then if any one says to you, ‘Lo, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false Christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. 25 Lo, I have told you beforehand. 26 So, if they say to you, ‘Lo, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out; if they say, ‘Lo, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of man. 28 Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together.
29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken; 30 then will appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory; 31 and he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
32 “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 34 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away till all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. 37 As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they did not know until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of man. 40 Then two men will be in the field; one is taken and one is left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one is taken and one is left. 42 Watch therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the householder had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have watched and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready; for the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
FINAL GOSPEL READING Matthew 26:57-64
57 Then those who had seized Jesus led him to Ca′iaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered. 58 But Peter followed 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. 59 Now the chief priests and the whole council sought false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death, 60 but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward.
At last two came forward 61 and said, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days.’”
62 And the high priest stood up and said, “Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?”
63 But Jesus was 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.”
64 Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, hereafter you will see the Son of man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
SERMON “The Son of Man”
We just heard five passages from the Gospel According to Matthew. In those five passages we heard Jesus call Himself “The Son of Man” ten times. In chapter 13, when Jesus calls Himself “The Son of Man,” He says that The Son of Man will send His angels to gather out of His kingdom all evildoers, to throw then into the furnace of fire. In chapter 16, Jesus says that the Son of Man will “come with His angels to “repay every man for what He has done.” In chapter 19, Jesus speaks of the Son of Man sitting on His glorious throne to act as judge.
The longest reading that we heard from Matthew’s gospel was from chapter 24. We heard less than half of the chapter. Yet, we found Jesus calling Himself “Son of Man” six times in this reading. In verse 27, Jesus speaks of His return. He says, “as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.” In the next few verses, Jesus elaborates on this statement. He says, “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken; then will appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory; and he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”
A few verses later, Jesus says, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they did not know until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of man.”
Jesus goes on to say, “. . . two men will be in the field; one is taken and one is left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one is taken and one is left. Watch therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the householder had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have watched and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready; for the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
In chapter 26, when Jesus is questioned by the high priest, He is so bold as to say, “I tell you, hereafter you will see the Son of man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
You may find it surprising that I am talking about Christ’s return in glory on the next to the last Sunday before Christmas, but, historically, the return of Christ has been a major theme of the Advent season. Advent is often thought of as a time of preparation for the celebration of Christ’s coming into the world at Bethlehem on the first Christmas. But, traditionally, it has also been a time to prepare for the second coming of Christ.
When we speak of the second coming, many people think of the book of Revelation. And we do read about the second coming in Revelation. But it is not just in the book of Revelation that we read about our Lord’s return. Jesus has a good bit to say about His return in Matthew, in Mark, and in Luke.
Of all of the chapters in all of the four gospels, it is in Matthew 24 that Jesus has the most to say about His return. I find it interesting that the chapter in which Jesus has the most to say about His return in glory is also the chapter in which Jesus calls Himself “The Son of Man” more times than in any other chapter.
I think that the biggest and best clue to the meaning of the term “Son of Man” is the way that Jesus Himself uses the term. He often uses it in connection with His return and with His role in judging the world. He also uses this title in connection with His suffering and death on several occasions. I believe that Jesus intends for us to see a connection between His suffering and death on the one hand and His judging of the world on the other hand. Because Jesus was “obedient unto death,” as St. Paul says in Philippians 2, God the Father has honored Him, and given Him a name which is above all names, so that at the name of Jesus everyone in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, might confess that He is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Because Jesus was willing to humble Himself, He is being given great glory and great authority.
One of the textbooks I used in seminary is titled “Jesus in the Church’s Gospels.” It was written by a Lutheran scholar named John Reumann back in the 1960’s. This book includes a 16-page discussion of the meaning of the title “Son of Man.” Dr. Reumann suggests that looking at Daniel 7 can help us to understand the meaning of this title which Jesus gives Himself so often in all four of the gospels. You may remember that in the passage which we heard Daniel describes a vision of four great beasts coming up out of the sea. This may be the best known part of the book of Daniel. But Daniel also speaks of “One like a Son of Man” Who is presented before the Ancient of Days. And Daniel tells us that this “One like a Son of Man” is given “dominion and glory and kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him.” Daniel says that this dominion “is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away,” and that this kingdom is “one that shall not be destroyed.”
I am persuaded that this passage in Daniel can help us to understand what Jesus is saying about Himself when in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, He calls Himself “The Son of Man.”
Some bible scholars seem to think that the term “The Son of Man” simply means “the human one.” The first passage we heard from Matthew this morning was from chapter 13. In that passage, we heard Jesus say, “Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the close of the age. The Son of man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers . . . .”
The Common English Bible, which was produced by a group of liberal Protestant denominations, and published in 2011, translates this same passage this way: “Just as people gather weeds and burn them in the fire, so it will be at the end of the present age. The Human One will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all things that cause people to fall away and all people who sin.”
I do not accept the notion that when Jesus calls Himself “The Son of Man” He intends for us to think of Him as an ordinary human. Yes, Jesus is human. He is fully human. But He is also fully divine. This is what bible-believing Christians believe about Jesus.
When Jesus calls Himself “The Son of Man,” He does not want us to think of Him as just another human. To the contrary, in every passage which we heard this morning from the book of Matthew, Jesus is telling us of something which He does that no ordinary human could possibly do.
In chapter 13, Jesus says, “The Son of Man will send His angels, and they will gather out of His Kingdom all causes of sin, and all evildoers, and throw them into the furnace of fire . . . .” What ordinary human could do this? I believe that when Jesus calls Himself the Son of Man He wants us to apply to Him what we have heard this morning from Daniel 7.
In chapter 16, we heard Jesus say, “For the Son of Man is to come with His angels in the glory of His Father, and then He will repay every man for what he has done.” What mere human has the authority, or the ability to repay every person for what she or he has done? I am fully convinced that when Jesus says “The Son of Man” He doesn’t just mean “the human one.”
Many preachers have tried to use Matthew 24 to predict when Jesus will return. If we study this chapter at all, we should know better than to try to make that prediction. Jesus says in this chapter, “. . . if they say to you, ‘Lo, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out; if they say, ‘Lo, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of man.”
Jesus goes on to say, “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken; then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the sign of the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory; and He will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call . . . .”
Could any mere human come into the world the way that lightning does? Certainly not. Could any mere human come “on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory”? Could any mere human send out angels? No. Clearly, when Jesus calls Himself the Son of Man, He is not just saying that He is a human. He is saying that He is the One Who will return to make all things right.
It would be foolish for us to try to determine what day Jesus will return, but it would also be foolish for us to disregard Christ’s promise to return to judge the world and to establish justice. We had better heed His warning in Matthew 25:44: “Therefore you also must be ready; for the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” This Advent season, don’t just get ready for Christmas to come. Get ready for Jesus to come.
PRAYER
Mighty Father, we thank You for creating all of us and giving us life. We thank You for sending Your Son Jesus to redeem Your creation, and we thank You for His promise to return to make all things right. We pray that You would make our hearts ready for His return, and we pray that as long as He tarries, You would use us to help others to be ready for His return as well. These things we ask in the mighty name of Jesus, the Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham, the Son of Man, the Son of God. Amen.
BENEDICTION Psalm 67:1 and 2 TLB
“O God, in mercy bless us; let your face beam with joy as you look down at us. Send us around the world with the news of your saving power and your eternal plan for all mankind.” Amen.