Is the Son of Man title about judgment or mercy?
Both, and neither is half of the truth: the Son of Man is the Judge appointed by the Father, and He is the One who came to seek and save the lost. Judgment is real, and it is His; mercy is His first movement, and it is real. The two meet at the cross, where the Judge took our condemnation so that those who trust Him need not fear the day of judgment.
This question arose from studying Why did Jesus call himself the Son of Man? and Why is Jesus called both the Son of God and the Son of Man?.
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What the Scripture says
The title carries both notes from the start
In Daniel's vision, the Son of Man approaches the Ancient of Days as the court is seated and the books are opened, and to Him is given an everlasting kingdom: the figure of Daniel 7 is a judge receiving a crown. And in the Gospels the same Jesus says the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. Judgment and rescue are not two different characters; they are two works of the same Lord.
A fiery stream issued and came out from before him: thousands of thousands ministered to him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.
I saw in the night visions, and behold, there came with the clouds of the sky one like a son of man, and he came even to the ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. There was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations, and languages should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost.”
For the Son of Man came to save that which was lost.
Judgment is real, and it belongs to Him
John is blunt: 'The Father judges no one, but he has given all judgment to the Son... because he is a son of man.' Paul preached that God has appointed this man to judge the world in righteousness, and Jesus described that day: the Son of Man on his throne, the nations gathered, the sheep and the goats separated, and the eternal outcome declared. No one will face that judgment but through Him, and no one will miss it.
For the Father judges no one, but he has given all judgment to the Son,
He also gave him authority to execute judgment, because he is a son of man.
He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that this is he who is appointed by God as the Judge of the living and the dead.
because he has appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he has ordained; of which he has given assurance to all men, in that he has raised him from the dead.”
“But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. Before him all the nations will be gathered, and he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
Then the King will tell those on his right hand, ‘Come, blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;
Then he will say also to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels;
These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Mercy is His first movement
Before He ever speaks of the judgment seat, Jesus speaks of being lifted up so that whoever believes in Him will not perish. 'God didn't send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him.' To the woman caught in sin He said, 'Neither do I condemn you. Go your way. From now on, sin no more.' The mercy is not a door He opens reluctantly; it is why He came.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him.
If anyone listens to my sayings, and doesn’t believe, I don’t judge him. For I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.
She said, “No one, Lord.” Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go your way. From now on, sin no more.”
For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost.”
The two meet at the cross
In John 3, the mercy and the judgment are one act: the Son of Man is lifted up on the cross, and whoever believes in Him is not condemned, while whoever does not believe stands already condemned. Paul says the record that stood against us was nailed to the cross, taken out of the way. The Judge bore the judgment. The mercy cost Him everything, and the judgment is finished for everyone who trusts Him.
As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
For God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him. He who believes in him is not judged. He who doesn’t believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.
wiping out the handwriting in ordinances which was against us; and he has taken it out of the way, nailing it to the cross;
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who don’t walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
So how do we face the Judge?
The answer Scripture gives is not fear or presumption; it is faith. Jesus said whoever hears His word and believes the Father has eternal life and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. John adds that love gives us boldness in the day of judgment, because we are in Christ. The same Judge who will one day separate the nations is the Brother who was tempted as we are. Draw near to His throne of grace now, and you will find mercy.
“Most certainly I tell you, he who hears my word, and believes him who sent me, has eternal life, and doesn’t come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.
In this love has been made perfect among us, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment, because as he is, even so are we in this world.
For we don’t have a high priest who can’t be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but one who has been in all points tempted like we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore draw near with boldness to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy, and may find grace for help in time of need.
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who don’t walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
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Verses to meditate on
For the Father judges no one, but he has given all judgment to the Son,
For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost.”
For God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him.
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who don’t walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
In this love has been made perfect among us, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment, because as he is, even so are we in this world.
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