The Son of Man and the Messianic Secret

Mark 8:27–33|Matthew 16:13–23|Luke 9:18–22

Late 1st or Early 2nd Century

Mark 8:27–33

27Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” 28And they answered him, “John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” 29He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.” 30And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him. 31Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”

Matthew 16:13–23

13Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 17And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. 18And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. 19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” 20Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

21From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.” 23But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”

Luke 9:18–22

18Once when Jesus was praying alone, with only the disciples near him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” 19They answered, “John the Baptist; but others, Elijah; and still others, that one of the ancient prophets has arisen.” 20He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “The Messiah of God.”

21He sternly ordered and commanded them not to tell anyone, 22saying, “The Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”

Translation from the New Revised Standard Version.

Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 2: Emerging Judaism.

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The idea of the “Son of Man” as a redeeming figure, whether an angel or a messianic redeemer, harks back to the second-century BCE apocalyptic prophecy of Daniel 7:13. There, Daniel prophesies a celestial being who is “like a human being,” that is, his appearance is that of a human. The title Son of Man also appears in other Second Temple messianic apocryphal literature, including 1 Enoch, where the Son of Man is a heavenly judge at the End of Days (see Heavenly Judgment). The Gospel of Mark seems to be the earliest text to introduce Isaiah’s “suffering servant” (Isaiah 42:1–4; 49:1–6; 50:4–7; 52:13–53:12) to the concept of the messianic Son of Man, to suggest that the Messiah would suffer, an idea unprecedented in Judaism and likely the subject of Peter’s objection in Mark 8.

Even though Jesus’ followers identify Jesus as the Messiah in the Gospels, Jesus himself is careful not to identify himself as the Messiah and most often speaks of the Son of Man in the third person. In Mark, Jesus orders his disciples not to disclose his identity to anyone. This theme comes to be known as “the messianic secret.” (An exception to this is in Mark 5:19–20.) In Matthew, though, Jesus praises Peter for recognizing him, and the passage continues with Jesus’ founding of the church. See also Messianism.

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