Chizuk Emunah (Pt 2) Under the Microscope: Chapter 12

Matthew 8:19, 20, "And a certain scribe came and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. And Jesus said unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man hath not where to lay his head." The same saying is recorded in Luke 9:58. This passage we deem a strong proof of the consciousness of Jesus that he was not God. For, if he had really been filled with such a conceit, why should he have called himself the Son of Man? And moreover, why should he have dissuaded others from relying on him? Perhaps he bore in mind the admonition given in Psalm 146:3, "Do not rely in princes nor trust in the son of man, for salvation belongeth not unto him." Or perhaps the words of Jeremiah in chapter 17:5, "Cursed is the man who relieth on man." Had he imagined he was God, why should he have said he had nowhere to lay his head? Would he not have considered the whole earth to be his own resting-place; for does not the Psalmist remind us in Psalm 24:1, "That the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof, the world, and the inhabitants therein?"

In this chapter, Troki misunderstands the term "Son of Man." The key indicator here is the definite article. Jesus is not just calling himself a son of man, as Ezekiel was called. Jesus is calling himself The Son of Man. This is a specific claim that Jesus uses of himself, but that his followers almost never used of him. The clearest hint to what Jesus meant by "The Son of Man" is in Mark 14.

Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” And Jesus said, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” And the high priest tore his garments and said, “What further witnesses do we need? You have heard his blasphemy. What is your decision?” And they all condemned him as deserving death. (Mark 14:61-64)

This is a reference to Daniel 7.

“I saw in the night visions,

and behold, with the clouds of heaven

there came one like a son of man,

and he came to the Ancient of Days

and was presented before him.

And to him was given dominion

and glory and a kingdom,

that all peoples, nations, and languages

should serve him;

his dominion is an everlasting dominion,

which shall not pass away,

and his kingdom one

that shall not be destroyed. (Daniel 7:13-14)

 Blasphemy was not a light charge in those days. If Jesus was claiming to be a mere human, there is no need for the high priest to react like that. They had heard Jesus refer to himself as the Son of Man before, and had finally made the connection when he used it in this context.

Psalm 24 does not say anything about God having a resting place. It only states that God has ownership over the world. The reference in Matthew 8 that Jesus had not place to rest his head is an indication of humility. Other leaders had wealth and worldly gains to offer their followers. These other leaders could promise their followers money, influence, possessions, fame, and glory. They were like rock stars, able to have sex with as many young ladies as they wanted. Jesus promised his followers none of these things. He promised them that they would suffer for the sake of truth.