Being found in fashion as a man

Jesus liked referring to Himself as “the Son of Man.” In fact, He used this designation to preface many of His most important statements about Himself:

• The Son of Man has no place to lay His head (Matthew 8:20)
• The Son of Man must be lifted up (John 3:14)
• The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many. (Mt 20:28, Mark 10:45)
• The Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins (Mt 9:6, Mk 2:10, Luke 5:24)
• The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost (Lk 19:10)
• The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill Him, and after three days He will rise. (Mk 9:31)
• People will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory (Mk 13:26)
• The Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him (Mt 24:44, Lk 12:40)
• When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth? (Lk 18:8)

This is just a sampling, but pretty much everything anyone needs to know about Jesus.

Scholars note that Son of Man is a term emphasizing His humanity. He identifies with all of us, even though we’re made of dust and are fallen sinners.

He isn’t just A son of man. He is THE Son of Man, meaning He is unique, the epitome of humanness, the only one of us without sin.

It is mind-blowing to think that human beings were created to bear God’s image. We do so imperfectly, but Jesus is the “exact representation” of God’s nature (Hebrews 1:3). He came to show us the Father (Jn 1:18). He is both fully God, and fully human.

He who created mankind in the image of God, Himself became the image of mankind! Because of Jesus, it is possible for us to grow in His likeness (Colossians 3:10).

So, what is mankind?

Mankind is the part of creation TO which the Son of God came, and OF which He became. He not only died FOR us but AS us.

Through Him we can be saved. Salvation has implications for the rest of His groaning creation (Romans 8:19-23), but mankind is God’s focus.

Even though it’s hard for our minds to comprehend, the incarnation is our focus at Christmas.

Though He was God, He did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.
Instead, He gave up His divine privileges; He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being.
When He appeared in human form, He humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
Therefore, God elevated Him to the place of highest honor and gave Him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
—Philippians 2:5-11 NLT

Let us all now sing His praise!

A Christmas Hymn

Image credit: Adoration of the Shepherds, by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo - Museo Nacional del Prado, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17169581