The Son of Man and the Messianic Secret

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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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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