Bob Couchenour the first years show

Summary: Son of Man I have thought of subtitling this “Relative Divinity – A Problem With the Deification of Jesus”, but that seems too radical for the way many “Christians” think and process new data, outside the orthodox box, paradigm or mind set, so – just pretend you didn’t read this sentence. “POOF”!!! There, I waved my magic wand, and it’s not there any more. Sound ridiculous? Sure it does. Because it IS still there. It’s still in your mind. And if you re continuing to read, you are curious. A new thought has been planted in that fertile ground of imagination and possibilities and you are experiencing a stimulus of “life”. Something is prodding you to consider that there may be potentials of being available to YOU, a simple human. Things that have remained hidden, buried in the depths of your being, but there none the less, and maybe, just “maybe”, there is a hope of finding what that nature and hidden reality is. Let me assure you though, before too many hopes are given rise too, that “I AM NOT the one to give you all the answers”. I am but a spiritual pilgrim myself. I may be a few steps ahead of a few of you, but there are many, many who have gone before me that I glean and learn from. And as I do, and process that information, AND allow the life within me to nurture and reinvigorate these, a resurrection of life is manifested, to be witnessed by ALL that the same Spirit of Life would touch and impart itself into. Okay, I know it’s starting to sound “spooky” to some of you. But before you write this off too quick, SLOW DOWN…re-read slowly… give the words and thoughts some time to process. It’s NOT that weird. THINK. (hmmm - what a concept) I have found eighty-five (85) references in the New Testament Gospels to the “son of man”. Orthodox theology has designated this saying or concept, as a “title”. A title to refer to “Jesus”, equivalent as “the son of God”, i.e. the title “Son of Man” equals the title “Son of God”, only “Son of Man” emphasizing Jesus’ humanity and “Son of God” emphasizing his divinity. Got it? Literally, for all you literalists, “son of man” “Denotes mankind generally, with special reference to their weakness and frailty (Job 25:6; Ps. 8:4; 144:3; 146:3; Isa. 51:12, etc.)”, I.e. – Humanity – human beings. Orthodox theology, and this includes Evangelicals of every flavor, Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox, declare this, ‘son of man’, to be a “distinctive title of the Savior…It denotes the true humanity of our Lord. He had a true body (Heb. 2:14; Luke 24:39) and a rational soul. He was perfect man.” But, “Is this assumed orthodox perception what Jesus was saying and referring to when he used this phrase, ‘son of man’?” Yes, “Son of Man” is a title referring to Jesus. But it is more. As the “Son of Man” equaling the “Son of God”, it is easy to rationalize a peculiar divinity, coequal status of Jesus with the “father” God. We can elevate and worship Jesus “the” Christ, and thereby place God and His being as external to human experience. The rationalization that Jesus could “do it” because he “was God” becomes ingrained in our psyche and very convenient to every excuse and selfish rational pardoning our lower, base, carnal whims, as opposed to realizing the full nature that is humanity as expressed and demonstrated to us in the person, the human, the man Jesus. What Jesus did, what Jesus said, ALL that was Jesus – Jesus, the being who walked and lived and had his presence among us earthly terrestrials some 2000 years ago, ALL that manifested in that life, was the experience of a human being. A full, spiritually enabled, materially existent – human being. A “son of man”. And the fullest expression of the “son of man”, human. Was Jesus, the one called the Christ, the man bearing and demonstrating a transcendent life, divine? Yes. But so are you. That same “Spirit” that raised “Christ” from the dead, dwells in you. That same Spirit of life, life that transcends l(continued)