On Tuesday, Jesus had warned his followers that the Son of Man, described vividly in the prophecy of Daniel in the Hebrew Bible, was coming and would divide the people into "sheep and goats"; those had who cared for the poor, the hungry, foreign, and prisoners would have everlasting life, but those who had not cared for the unfortunate would have everlasting punishment. (Matthew 25:31-46.) Note that Jesus does not claim to be the Son of God, but emphasizes humanity: the Son of Man.

Now, on Thursday, the gospels tell us, Jesus talked to his followers about the Human One, the Son of Man who was coming to be a servant to all. Later, after being arrested, he was questioned - and tortured - by the leaders of the Temple who wanted to get rid of this trouble-maker. They couldn't get anyone to give credible testimony against Jesus, so they asked him directly: "Are you the Son of God?" Jesus' answer was something like: "You are saying it." The chief priests and elders and scholars had finally had enough, and they turned him over to Pontius Pilate (because only the Roman were allowed to carry out a death sentence.)

We are told that Jesus repeatedly seemed to identify himself with a mythical human being (literally "son of man"); others referred to him as the Son of God. What point was Jesus making?

Lenten Devotions
April 1, 2021