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II. The Son of Man:
А. Coming in His humanity to seek and save the lost sinners — Matt. 18:11; 9:13; Luke 19:10:
1. Eating and drinking with the tax collectors and sinners — Matt. 9:10-11; 11:19; Luke 7:34.
2. Making friends with them.
3. Visiting and lodging with a sinful man — 19:5-7.
4. As a Physician to the ill — Matt. 9:12.
5. Having authority to forgive sins — v. 6.
6. Not destroying men’s lives but saving them — Luke 9:56.
B. Having no place to lay His head — Matt. 8:20; Luke 9:58:
1. Not even as the foxes having holes.
2. Nor as the birds of heaven having roosts.
C. Being, in His humanity, the Lord of the Sabbath — Matt. 12:8; Mark 2:28; Luke 6:5.
D. Confessing in him, before His Father in the heavens and before His angels, everyone who confesses in Him before men, and forgiving the ones speaking words against Him — 12:8, 10; Matt. 10:32; 12:32.
E. Sowing Himself, in His humanity, as the good seed into man to grow Him — 13:3-9, 37.
F. Asking His disciples who they knew Him to be in His humanity and guiding them to know Him as the Christ, the Son of the living God, who will build the church to be the kingdom of the heavens — 16:13-20.
G. Coming, in His humanity, not to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many — 20:28; Mark 10:45.
H. iving, in His humanity, the food which abides unto eternal life — John 6:27, 53.
I. Dying in His humanity:
1. Going away from His disciples and being betrayed by one of them — Matt. 26:24; Mark 14:21; Luke 22:22, 48.
2. To be killed as John the Baptist was by the Jewish authorities — Matt. 17:12; Mark 9:12-13.
3. To be delivered into the hands of the chief priests and scribes and crucified by them — Matt. 17:22-23a; 20:18-19a; 26:2, 45; Mark 8:31a; 9:31a; 10:33-34a; 14:41; Luke 9:22a, 44; 18:31-33a; 24:7a.
4. Giving His life as a ransom for many — Matt. 20:28b; Mark 10:45b.
5. To be lifted up on the cross:
а. That people may know that He is the great I Am — John 8:28.
b. To draw all men to Himself — 12:32, 34.
c. As a serpent, typified by the serpent lifted up by Moses (Num. 21:8-9), that everyone who believes into Him may have eternal life — John 3:14-15.
J. Being buried in His humanity in the heart of the earth three days and three nights as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish — Matt. 12:40; Luke 11:30.
K. Resurrecting in His humanity:
1. On the third day after His burial — Matt. 17:23b, 9; 20:19b; Mark 8:31b; 9:9, 31b; 10:34b; Luke 9:22b; 18:33b; 24:7b.
2. Being glorified — John 12:23; 13:31-32; 7:39; Luke 24:26.
Our crystallization-study of the humanity of Christ is to show us how much Christ is to us and how much we can enjoy Christ. Our circumstances in our living can be like a blowing wind, and sometimes they can be like a tempest with heavy rain. Christ is a refuge from the wind and a covering from the tempest (Isa. 32:2). When China was invaded by the Japanese army during the Second World War, the military police of the Japanese army arrested me twice. That was a real tempest. During the war, it meant nothing for the Japanese army to put a Chinese person to death. They imprisoned me for thirty days, and that was a real test to my family and to the church. But I can testify that Christ was my covering to protect me from that tempest. The New Testament alone does not tell us how to enjoy Christ as a refuge and a covering.
The Brethren taught the prophecies in the book of Daniel, but we need to see that the book of Daniel is also full of the enjoyment of Christ, the Son of Man. The three friends of Daniel were thrown into the fire, and Christ as a man was walking with them. Also, in Daniel 10:4-19 we see that Christ is our stability, but we do not have such a thought pointed out in this way in the New Testament.
If we had only the New Testament without the Old Testament, our enjoyment of Christ would not be adequate. I have given many messages on the types and prophecies in the Old Testament to show people Christ and the enjoyment of Christ. In Luke 24:44 the Lord Jesus pointed out to His disciples that the three sections of the Old Testament — the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms — reveal Him. This shows that the entire Old Testament is a revelation of Christ and that He is its center and content.
Some teach that the whole Bible unveils Christ, but they understand this in a very shallow way, which can be compared to skating on a layer of ice. All the deeper truths are in the depths “beneath the ice.” By the Lord’s unveiling in His mercy, we have an interpreted Bible, revealing the deeper truths.
In the outlines for this chapter and the next one, we have extracted all the New Testament verses which speak of the Son of Man. In Matthew 18:11 the Lord said, “The Son of Man has come to save that which is lost.” He did not say, “I have come,” but, “The Son of Man has come.” I refers simply to the man, not the Son of Man. Changing the Son of Man to I or Me in any of the verses in these outlines makes them much less meaningful. If we read these points again and again, we will enter into them and enjoy Christ as the Son of Man. It is the Son of Man who has the authority to forgive sinners, who can be the Lord of the Sabbath, who gave His life as a ransom for many, who gives the food which abides unto eternal life, and who was glorified with the Father’s glory.
Christ as the Son of Man came in His humanity to seek and save the lost sinners (Matt. 18:11; 9:13; Luke 19:10). He ate and drank with the tax collectors and sinners (Matt. 9:10-11; 11:19; Luke 7:34), making friends with them. He visited and lodged with a sinful man, a tax collector named Zaccheus (19:5-7). He also came as a Physician to the ill (Matt. 9:12), having authority to forgive sins (v. 6). As the Son of Man, Christ came not to destroy men’s lives but to save them (Luke 9:56). We need to enjoy Christ as the Son of Man.
As the Son of Man, Christ had no place to lay His head (Matt. 8:20; Luke 9:58), not even as the foxes having holes nor as the birds of heaven having roosts.
Christ in His humanity is the Lord of the Sabbath (Matt. 12:8; Mark 2:28; Luke 6:5). As the Son of Man, Christ can forgive people and be the Lord of the Sabbath.
Christ as the Son of Man will confess in him, before His Father in the heavens and before His angels, everyone who confesses in Him before men, and He will forgive the ones speaking words against Him (12:8, 10; Matt. 10:32; 12:32).
The Lord as the Son of Man sowed Himself, in His humanity, as the good seed into man to grow Him (13:3-9, 37).
The Lord Jesus asked His disciples who they knew Him to be in His humanity and guided them to know Him as the Christ, the Son of the living God, who will build the church to be the kingdom of the heavens (16:13-20).
Christ came in His humanity, not to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many (20:28; Mark 10:45).
Christ gave, in His humanity, the food which abides unto eternal life (John 6:27, 53).
Christ died in His humanity. In His death He went away from His disciples and was betrayed by one of them (Matt. 26:24; Mark 14:21; Luke 22:22, 48). As the Son of Man, He was killed as John the Baptist was by the Jewish authorities (Matt. 17:12; Mark 9:12-13). He was delivered as the Son of Man into the hands of the chief priests and scribes and crucified by them (Matt. 17:22-23a; 20:18-19a; 26:2, 45; Mark 8:31a; 9:31a; 10:33-34a; 14:41; Luke 9:22a, 44; 18:31-33a; 24:7a). He gave His life as a ransom for many (Matt. 20:28b; Mark 10:45) and was lifted up on the cross. His being lifted up on the cross as the Son of Man was so that people may know that He is the great I Am (John 8:28) and that He may draw all men to Himself (12:32, 34). On the cross He was lifted up as a serpent, typified by the serpent lifted up by Moses (Num. 21:8-9), that everyone who believes into Him may have eternal life (John 3:14-15).
The Son of Man was buried in His humanity in the heart of the earth three days and three nights as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish (Matt. 12:40; Luke 11:30).
Christ resurrected in His humanity on the third day after His burial (Matt. 17:23b, 9; 20:19b; Mark 8:31b; 9:9, 31b; 10:34b; Luke 9:22b; 18:33b; 24:7b), being glorified (John 12:23; 13:31-32; 7:39; Luke 24:26).
