2: The Person and Titles of Jesus

2: The Person of Jesus

Several titles were used to describe and address Jesus during his life time. It is important to realise that no human being can be adequately described by one title or adjective. Generally, for a complete description of a person we have to take a number of angles and use a variety of terms. Jesus is no different from us in this respect. An adequate description of him will have to take into account the various titles which he was given. Furthermore, we have to realise that the full significance of some of the titles of Jesus was not immediately realised by his contemporaries, even those close to him. In a sense the gospel involves a gradual unfolding of the true meaning of Jesus, which culminates in his trial, cross and resurrection. As the story of Jesus unfolds, the true meaning of the titles given to him becomes more clear.

2.1: Son of God

This title is used in the first sentence of the gospel, so it is the description by which the writer wants us to know Jesus.

Read Mark 1:9-11:Jesus’ baptism.

It is important to know this text well. Hence I will quote it with key words according to the RSV version of the Bible underlined: You are my beloved Son, with you I am well pleased. Other versions of Scripture translate the second half as "my favour rests on you." Any translation of Scripture is acceptable.

The baptism of John the Baptist was a public sign of your commitment to righteous living. Hence for Jesus to take it is to for him to affirm his commitment to God. As Jesus is baptised God confirms his approval of Jesus by the vision of the Holy Spirit and declares that Jesus is his Son. Jesus is thus singled out from among all the righteous of Israel as the one approved by God. Furthermore, the gift of the Holy Spirit was a sign that Jesus was being set apart for a mission. Yet the meaning of the term Son of God was not clear. It was a term which could be used to describe any holy person, such as a prophet. It could be taken to mean Son of God in the sense of one begotten by God, but this text cannot tell us which meaning is correct.

The baptism of John was a ceremony of the Old Covenant. It was a public sign of repentance. The word for repentance was metanoia, which meant a redirection of your life towards good. But the Jews looked forward to the New Covenant, which would be engraved by God on people’s hearts. This could only be done by God’s Spirit. This is why John prophesies that someone will baptise with the Spirit. Thus when Jesus sees the Spirit descending it is a sign that he is the one who will bring the New Covenant.

Task Mk 1

What happened at Jesus’ baptism?

Task Mk 2

What is the significance of Jesus’ vision of the Holy Spirit?

Read Mark 9:2-8. The Transfiguration.

There is some dispute over this text. Some scholars think that it is a post-resurrection experience, that is one which happened after Jesus rose from the dead. Yet the text places it firmly in the time before Jesus died, as you can see from verse 9. The reason for thinking that it is a post-resurrection experience is the strange light which seems to surround Jesus. However, the evangelist did present it as happening prior to Jesus’ death.

Note that here God again confirms that Jesus is his Son. However, the words differ from the words at Jesus’ baptism. What is important is the signs of the presence of God. The cloud was a standard Old Testament sign that God was present, as also was the voice from the cloud. Two great Old Testament figures are seen with Jesus. Moses represents the law and Elijah the prophets. This is a sign that Jesus fulfils the law and the prophets, and so must be the one promised to Israel.

It is important to see that this experience represents an unfolding of the true nature of Jesus, and is a stage in the revealing of the true nature of Jesus’ sonship. His humanity, true as it is, is shown as veiling a divine element in him. Again, though we are not told whether this is the divine nature that Christians claim Jesus possesses, or whether it is the sign of the Holy Spirit given at his baptism and staying with him.

Task Mk 3

Say what happens at the Transfiguration.

Task Mk 4

What do Moses and Elijah represent at the Transfiguration?

Task Mk 5

How does Mark show us that God present at the transfiguration?

Task Mk 6

Examine the words used by God at Jesus’ baptism with those used at the transfiguration. Say how they are similar and how they differ.

Task Mk 7

How is the importance of Jesus shown in the story of the Transfiguration?

Read Mark 14:53-65 The Trial before the High Priest

This is the culmination of the process through which Jesus’ sonship is revealed. At this point the high priest asks Jesus is he the Christ (messiah), the Son of the Blessed ( term for God). Son of God in the sense of a holy person was a title proper to the messiah, and the high priest understood it in this sense. However, Jesus gave an unexpected answer in which he said "I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power ( a term for God) and coming on the clouds of heaven." The impact of this statement came from the fact that a number of images and terms finally come together. Son of man, as you will see below, was a heavenly being, and Jews did not use the words "I am", as they form the first part of Yahweh, the name of God, a name which the Jews did not utter out of respect for God. To be seated at the right hand of a king was to be his heir and near equal. Jesus’ sonship is here revealed as involving far more than his being simply a holy man, and it seems that the high priest realised what Jesus meant.

Jesus was accused of blasphemy, which is claiming to be God or deliberately insulting God. If Jesus had simply claimed to be messiah he would have been accused of treason against the Roman government but not blasphemy, for a claim to be messiah is not a claim to be God. That Jesus was charged with blasphemy indicates that he claimed to be more than the messiah.

Task Mk 8

What is blasphemy? Why was Jesus accused of it?

Task Mk 9

Some people claim that Jesus was the Son of God in the sense of being just a holy person, whereas others claim that he is Son of God in the sense that he is divine.

a) Show which of these views is supported by Mark’s Gospel.

b) What are your own opinions on this subject?

2.2: Son of Man

Task Mk 10

Read the following three passages. Mark 2, 1-12; 10, 35-45; chapter 8, 31-33.

What do they tell us about the Son of Man?

The term Son of Man is much misunderstood, and this misunderstanding causes students to lose marks in examinations. The term son of man can mean an ordinary human being, and in the Aramaic language which Jesus spoke it could mean "I", but there was another usage which denoted a being definitely not ordinary. In the book of Daniel the prophet Daniel sees a vision of the Ancient of Days (God), and coming on the clouds of heaven. There is brought into his presence one like to a son of man. This person is given glory and eternal kingship by God. The reference to the Son of Man’s coming on the clouds of heaven has strong affinities with Jesus’ declaration before the high priest, and in using it of himself he was identifying himself with the being who receives eternal kingship.

Most Jews expected a messiah, and did not place much importance on the Son of Man prophecy. Certainly, Son of Man was not a messianic title, and the term was not used of the messiah. There is evidence that the Qumran community, the group from which the Dead Sea Scrolls derive, did place much importance on the Son of Man, and it is likely that they associated him with someone known as the Suffering Servant. This person is found in Isaiah 52-53. He suffers to atone for (make up for) the sins of his people and wins eternal glory through his suffering. Jesus may have had some association with this community, although in other ways their beliefs were unlike his. As you saw in Mark 10, 25-35 Jesus says that the Son of Man came to give as life as a ransom for many. This means that Jesus saw his death as a payment for the sins of mankind, just as the Suffering Servant’s death was a payment for sin. For Jesus the Son of Man would only attain his glory and kingship through suffering.

Task Mk 11

Read Isaiah 52,13-53,12

What parallels do Christians see between the Suffering Servant and Jesus Christ?

When Jesus talks about the Son of Man he is talking in the third person singular, and this has led some people to think that he was talking about someone other than himself. However, in Mark 2,10-12 he announces that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins, then forgives them himself. In Mark 2,28 he justifies his claims to dispense with Sabbath customs by claiming that the Son of Man is master of the Sabbath. In 8,31-33 he speaks of the death of the Son of Man, and his subsequent resurrection, descriptions which fit the fate that awaited him. It seems clear that Jesus used the term Son of man to describe himself.

One error which constantly turns up on examination papers is the claim that Jesus used the term Son of Man to show that he was just an ordinary person and that he was no one special. This is incorrect, he was using a conventional term for I in a sense which had been given much deeper meaning by its reference to Scripture. Its full meaning becomes clear only at the declaration before the high priest. What is correct is that Jesus used this term in preference to messiah, which had a political meaning. It referred to a military leader who would overthrow Rome, re-establish the Jewish kingdom and create a Jewish empire. This did not properly describe Jesus’ mission, which was to bring peace. Using the term messiah could get him into deep trouble with the authorities. Anyone who claimed to be messiah was executed for treason by Rome. Thus using the term Son of Man in preference to messiah avoided trouble and bought him extra time to preach and to teach his disciples.

Task Mk 12

What did Jesus mean by using the term Son of Man to describe himself? Why did he use this term in preference to the term messiah?

Task Mk 13

Why, according to Jesus, did the Son of Man have to suffer?

2.3: Jesus/Saviour

Task Mk 14

Read and make notes on the following passages:

Mark 4, 35-41; 6, 30-44; 7, 24-30.

How is Jesus presented as a saviour in these passages?

You will see that although the title saviour is not used, Jesus is presented as one who saves. Firstly, the apostles are caught in a severe storm, from which Jesus rescued them by his command of the winds and the sea. Secondly, in the feeding of the five thousand Jesus is shown as one who has such power over nature that he can provide for people in need and rescue them from hunger. Thirdly, he is shown as the one who can cast out a demon. This is a sign that his power extends to his being able to defeat the forces of evil. To a great extent, the word saviour describes Jesus’ life. Even the name Jesus is derived from Joshua, the Hebrew for saviour. Jesus is shown to be one who can save people from sin and suffering. He does this by his miracles of healing and by his forgiving sins.

Note that his saving power is exercised as a response to a request. Anyone who makes a request of Jesus is implying that they have some kind of faith in him. In the feeding of the five thousand and the calming of the storm the apostles turn to Jesus for help, even though they have no idea of the extent of his power. In the Syrophoenician woman’s daughter Jesus at first hesitates to effect the cure until he can lead the woman into a confession of faith in the God of Israel. This confession of faith in God is the prerequisite of faith in Jesus. Previously the woman had probably thought him to be a magician. Jesus did not want this and so he evoked the right faith before performing the cure.

The most important aspect of Jesus’ role as saviour is to save mankind from sin and death. The Christian faith is that by dying he saved us from bearing the burden of our sins, and by rising from the dead he offers us the chance of eternal life, which we obtain by being joined to him in baptism.

Task Mk 15

How does Mark’s Gospel portray Jesus as a saviour?

2.4: Messiah/Christ/Son of David

The Hebrews, the people of whom the Jews are the remnant, had under Kings David and Solomon had a great kingdom. King David, who reigned from 1000 to 961 BC, had been considered a favourite of God, and the Jews believed that he had been promised that one of his descendants would always rule. However, the Jewish kingdom had fallen in 587 BC, and the line of David had lost power. God’s promise could only be fulfilled if God restored the kingdom under a ruler descended from David. It came to be hoped that one day God would send this ruler, the messiah, a term which means the anointed one, a title which denotes that its possessor is special and chosen for an important task. The Greek for messiah is Christos, from which we get the word Christ. He would be a descendant of David and would become king of the Jews. Hence the messiah could be called Son of David, and this was a well-known messianic title. To address someone as Son of David was to call him messiah, hence when Bartimaeus calls Jesus Son of David in Mark 10, 46-52 he is making a public assertion that Jesus is the long-promised messiah.

Jesus was not happy to be publicly called messiah. At Caesarea Philippi in 8,27-30 he acknowledges Peter’s recognition of him as the Christ, but tells the apostles not to tell anyone about it. The reason for this is that he was not the messiah that the people wanted. They wanted a warrior leader who would establish them as the number one nation and dominate and enslave their enemies. He wanted to be a peaceful messiah who would establish a kingdom of love and forgiveness. Jesus would have preferred converting the Romans to defeating them. Judaism had two strands: some Jews were very nationalistic and thought of themselves as the only people for whom God cared; others looked forward to a world when all would worship God in peace. Jesus was the of the latter kind. Hence a narrowly nationalistic title did not suit him.

The Jews saw the messiah as a glorious ruler, Jesus saw him as a suffering servant, and thus when Peter told Jesus that he must not suffer and die Jesus rebuked him and said "Get behind me Satan, for your thoughts are not from God but from man." The word Satan means tempter, so Jesus was telling Peter not to tempt him, but to get behind him, which means to follow him and his ways.

Task Mk 16

What did the Jews mean by the term messiah? Why was Jesus reluctant to be acknowledged publicly as messiah?

Task Mk 17

Who was King David? Why was he so important to the Jews?

Task Mk 18

Read Mark 8, 27-30 and summarise what it says.

The climax of Jesus’ ministry was reached at Jerusalem. As Jesus approached Jerusalem he was addressed as Son of David and accepted the title by curing Bartimaeus of his blindness. This is a sign that he is prepared to reveal his true identity. Yet the great acknowledgement of Jesus’ messiahship is found in chapter 11, 1-11. Pause now to Read this passage.

Read Mark 11:1-11 now

In this passage we are told how Jesus is welcomed as he rides into Jerusalem for the Passover feast. The crowds declare "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord" and hail the coming kingdom of David. This is a sign that many looked upon him as the messiah, and Jesus did not object. Yet Jesus is seen riding on a colt, a young animal. A warrior messiah would have ridden on a war-horse. This is a sign that Jesus was a man of peace rather than war. He was messiah, but not a messiah of the kind that many were expecting.

Task Mk 19

Summarise the events of Mark 11, 1-11.

2.5: Titles of Jesus for modern Christians

The question is how relevant are these titles to modern Christians. We want to know how far these titles have a useful part to play in religious life today. Some titles are specifically Jewish titles of the first century, and have little relevance in our time. Son of David merely indicates that Jesus was from the royal line of Judah, and was, therefore, the one who fulfilled God’s promises to his people. This title can remind us that God keeps his promises, but it is not one which modern Christians would use to address Jesus. The term messiah is similar. It is a term which addresses a specific hope of the Jewish people. Again, it tells us that God keeps his promises, but western Christians do not address Jesus as messiah nowadays. Some Christians who speak Aramaic still do so, where it is used to mean Christ.

The term Christ is different. Although it was used to refer to the messiah, it means the anointed one. Anointing is still practised today as a sign that a person is commissioned for a special task, so to call Jesus the anointed one would indicate that he is God’s chosen messenger to his people. Most people, however, do not fully see this and just use Christ as though it were part of Jesus’ name.

The title Son of Man was not used even by the early Church, and modern Christians feel no inclination to use it. It is seen as an archaic term. Nevertheless, an understanding of the term Son of Man gives us an indication of how Jesus saw himself. The Son of Man was a heavenly figure who would be sent at the right time to establish God’s rule on Earth and to bring judgment. Clearly, seeing that Jesus saw himself as coming from heaven and having a decisive part to play in God’s plan for the world. The connection of the Son of Man with judgment might indicate that Jesus’ and his teaching are the standard by which humans will be judged when they come before God after death.

Task Mk 20

How useful are the titles Son of Man, Messiah and Son of David to modern Christians?

The title Son of God is used by orthodox Christians, those who believe that Jesus is divine, as they see it as indicating that Jesus has his origins in God. This in their view means that he has a knowledge of God of an intimate and privileged kind that no other person has, and can, therefore, speak with authority about God and his will in a way that no other person, however wise, can do. Moreover, Christians believe that Jesus is an integral part of the Trinity, the three persons in one God, so that Jesus is not just a person with a message (although he did bring a message), but is the way in which God gets involved with the world by entering it as a participant. Thus, they believe that Jesus does the work of God in the world and can be addressed in divine terms. He can be prayed to in the sense that a mere wise person cannot. However, anyone who believes that Jesus was merely a very holy person will not see much, if any relevance in this title.

Saviour is often used by modern Christians, as they feel that it speaks of what God has done for us in Christ. Christians believe that Jesus’ great deed was to free his people from sin and death. By dying on the cross he paid the penalty for sin, and by rising from the dead he offered those who commit themselves to him the hope of eternal life. Thus they see saviour as a very appropriate term. Christians also feel that Jesus is still active in the world and the lives of his people, working for the good, helping them through life’s pitfalls.

So Christians feel that they can pray to Jesus for the following purposes:

to help them overcome their inclinations to sin.
to forgive their sins.
to give them the strength and guidance to overcome difficulties in their lives.
to guide them to know God’s will for them, particularly what path or vocation God wants them to follow in life.
to turn to in times of distress.
Many Christians pray to Jesus for healing.

For these reasons Christians speak of Jesus as saviour.