Think Wink.

In line with my recent posts, I was pondering Mark’s account of the Olivet Discourse in Mark 13. One thing that stood out to me is Jesus statement in Mark 13:26, “And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.” This is a direct allusion to Daniel 7:13-14 where the prophet writes, “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. And to him was given dominion and glory and a 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.” Now the title of “Son of Man” is extremely prominent in Mark’s Gospel account, Jesus refers to himself by this title thirteen times. But the question that is mulling around in my head right now is: does Jesus understand “Son of Man” as Daniel does when he applies the title to himself?

Before I get into this I want to say that these are only preliminary thoughts.

Read all of Daniel 7. Now follow the prophet’s line of thought in the vision. Firs there appears the three beasts, the lion, the bear, and the leopard. Then comes the fourth beast with the ten horns, and the little horn comes up and removes three and then is given a mouth to blaspheme. Then the scene shifts to the Ancient of Days and his judgment of the beasts. After their judgment, the son of man comes on the clouds of heaven and is given the authority and kingdom that rules over all of the earth. This vision puzzles Daniel and so he asks for an interpretation from one of the ten thousands standing before the Ancient of Days. He is given a brief interpretation. Notice something in the response, “These four great beasts are four kings who shall arise out of the earth. But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever and ever” (Daniel 7:17-18). The interpretation does not say that the Son of Man receives the kingdom forever but rather “the saints of the Most High” receive the kingdom. When Daniel presses further, he is told this about the kingdom after it is taken from the four beasts in Daniel 7:27, “And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; their kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey them.” Again there is no reference to the Son of Man, an individual, but rather to the people of God, “the saints of the Most High.”

I am beginning to think that maybe Jesus did not mean for us to understand him as “Son of Man” in the sense of Daniel 7. Daniel seems to use the “son of man” as a metaphor for the people of God. Rather, I am becoming more persuaded that he is using it like in Ezekiel. In Ezekiel, God refers to the prophet as “Son of Man.” It is the title he gives to Ezekiel, his mouth-piece to the Israel. Ezekiel is God’s representative to Israel, as Jesus is God’s representative to the whole world. I’m still in the process of trying to discern this.

Now to connect this to what I have been reading up on lately. This changes the way Jesus intends for us to understand Mark 13:26 and its parallel in Matthew 24:30, as well as in Mark 14:62 and Matthew 26:64. Daniel also refers to the coming of the son of man in Daniel 7:21-22 as, “As I looked, this horn made war with the saints and prevailed over them, until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given for the saints of the Most High, and the time came when the saints possessed the kingdom.” It is the vindication of God’s people over those who are persecuting them. Thus in the Olivet Discourse, the coming of the Son of Man in connection with the destruction of the Temple (Mark 13:1-3; Matthew 24:1-3; Luke 21:5-7) is that this is when God will judge Israel for her rejection of her Messiah and vindicate Jesus as his Christ and the true Israel is the New Covenant Church, the remnant chosen by grace (Romans 11:5-6). In Jesus’ trial, not only was He claiming divinity in Mark 14:62 and Matthew 24:64, but he was also pronouncing judgment upon Israel.

Related posts:

sane’, Malachi, and Paul Pt 2

That Was Then This Is Now