MINORITY REPORT

This is Minority Report, Chapter Five of the new book, ‘One of Us is God.’ Thanks for reading – do send comments and questions…

The Son of Man must suffer many things… Luke 9:22

Jesus was pursued throughout his public ministry by people urging him to identify himself. Even his cousin John, imprisoned by Herod, sent messengers to ask him ‘Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?’ (Luke 7:20 ESV). This is probably not so much a genuine personal enquiry as a coded message to say, ‘You need to declare yourself! If you are indeed the chosen one, say so!’ John has already acknowledged very publicly that Jesus is ´the One’ – he was the first to do so. He has released a number of his followers to switch their allegiance and join his cousin, but he’s worried. Pressure from Herod is mounting. Time is running out, and he hasn’t yet heard Jesus proclaim himself messiah. Like the friend of a would-be president in the weeks before the primaries, he is urging Jesus, ‘You need to announce!’

Jesus’ response comes in the form of a report:

‘Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them’ (Luke 7:22 ESV).

He is declaring himself not by labels but by actions. The passage continues with Jesus speaking glowingly of John, saying that ‘of all who have ever lived, none is greater’ (Luke 7:28 NLT) but subsequently making a stark distinction between John’s approach and his own as the Son of Man (Luke 7:33-34). We’ll explore that distinction in Part Two, but we can note, here, that Jesus seems to be evading the labels others want to place on him, pivoting instead to his own unexpected and somewhat obscure title to represent his identity and calling.

I want to suggest the single most consistent strategy Jesus employs to challenge false assumptions about his identity is his use of this title, the Son of Man. This is particularly significant when he is responding to messianic questions. Re-visit your Scriptures, he is urging us. Find the threads of prophecy you’ve failed to understand. You will see that the true king you are waiting for is not your military messiah, nor the king of Israel alone – he is something different altogether. When Jesus pivots from messiah-talk to Son of Man declarations, he is leaning into this contrast, reframing the expectations of his hearers to prepare them to receive the true account of his identity and mission. The mysterious figure of the Son of Man is a clue, perhaps even the key, to understanding the vocation of Jesus.