-- Luke 1:35
“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.
-- Matthew 16:15-17
In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
-- Daniel 7:13-14
Like the Father, Jesus is God. He always was, always is, and always will be. But unlike the Father, Jesus is also a human being. Though charged with blasphemy and crucified for claiming to be one with the Father, Jesus' resurrection validates His claim to be God's Son in a unique way. When we confess our belief that Jesus is the Son of God, we share in the love the Father has for the Son, becoming adopted children of God.
Though Jesus is the Son of God, He is also the Son of Man, a title that emphasizes both His lowliness and His eventual dominion. Near the end of His life, when the high priest asked Him whether He was the Son of God, Jesus no longer avoided the title but said that the high priest would one day "see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven" (Matthew 26:64).
Together the titles Son of God and Son of Man express the incredible mystery of the incarnation - that the second person of the Trinity came down from Heaven to become one of us so that we could be one with Him. When you pray to Jesus as the Son of God and Son of Man, you are praying to the Holy One who is your Brother and your Lord.
Discuss: What do you think it means to say that Jesus is the Son of God? What about the Son of Man?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, open our eyes to the mystery of who You are - God's only Son who became a man that we might be reconciled to the Father. Open our ears to hear Your voice and our hearts to do Your will. Shape us into Your likeness by the power of Your Spirt as we grow in greater maturity as children of the living God. We believe that You are both the Son of God and Son of Man. Thank you Jesus. Amen
Craft: Make a relief map of the Holy Land area of the world using a salt dough/clay or any of the clay or dough recipes located at the end of this unit. Alternately you could make a banner with “holy” as the theme.
Service Project Idea: Assist in a church clean up and/or beautification project. Or, build a place in your yard (or local park) that encourages worship.
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