I love Iain Duguid’s commentary on the Book of Daniel and I thought his reflections were so helpful on the name “Son of Man” that is given to Jesus Christ our Saviour in the Bible.
“‘The Son of Man’ was the perfect title for Jesus to bear on his incongruous mission precisely because it combined in itself the incongruous ideas of ‘mere humanity’ with the unparalleled glory of God himself. In his earthly ministry, it was the ‘human’ aspect of the son of man that was prominent. In Eugene Peterson’s words: “This Son of Man has dinner with a prostitute, stops off for lunch with a tax-collector, wastes time blessing children when there were Roman legions to be chased from the land, heals unimportant losers and ignores high-achieving Pharisees and influential Sadducees.” Ultimately, he hung pierced and bleeding upon a cross; he died and was buried in a tomb, surely the most ungodlike of acts. But his majesty, even though veiled while he was on earth, was still present. He taught as one with unparalleled authority (Matt. 7:29), he forgave people their sins (Luke 5:24), and he spoke of possessing a kingdom (John 18:36). Both divine and human aspects are present because Jesus is son of man and Son of Man, very man and Very God. ”