There is only one, Son of Man, right? Jesus. Self-proclaimed as this very thing.
YES.
In that context, that is absolutely correct. Yet, in another context, there is another. In the book of Ezekiel, the Lord refers to Ezekiel as the Son of Man around 90 different times. Why? Is this title similar in reference? What is the purpose?
While the phrase may be similar, it couldn't in fact, be any more different in context with Ezekiel than it is with Jesus.
In Ezekiel, the phrase literally means “son of Adam," a way of saying “a mere human.” God is emphasizing the distance between His divine authority and Ezekiel’s obvious humanity.
The message is very clear to His prophet: 'You are human.You are dependent. You speak and are capable only because I send you. I, however, AM.'
In other words, God keeps Ezekiel grounded. This unique title keeps him humble while still commissioning him as a prophet. It highlights weakness, mortality, and obedience in the human race, before God.
When later we see and hear Jesus utilizing this term in the New Testament, “Son of Man” is a way of identifying Himself as displaying true and complete humanity, while still also maintaining divine authority. When Jesus calls Himself “the Son of Man,” He is doing something radically different than what we saw prior in the Old Testament, He is deliberately invoking the Book of Daniel, specifically Daniel 7:13–14: “One like a son of man… given dominion, glory, and a kingdom… all nations should serve him." This may have been Jesus' favorite self-title, which is used more than any other of His descriptive terms- He refers to Himself this way about 80-81 times.
So, in this instance, this “Son of Man” is not at all similar to the message being conveys to Ezekiel, but rather He is saying, "I am truly and fully human, yet I am also: Heavenly. Eternal. Given authority to judge. Worshiped by all people." Its purpose was both incarnational and messianic.
So why did this matter so much?
Jesus didn’t choose this title accidentally. “Son of Man” allowed Him to:
- Reveal His identity without political revolt
- Fulfill prophecy without using loaded terms like ‘Messiah’
- Declare judgment and salvation on His own authority
So there were two different "Sons of Man." Ezekiel was a watchman. Jesus was and still is the Judge. And while they might have used the very same words in a phrase, they carried entirely different weight.
~ Devin
Devin Osborne
