I’ve been called lots of names over my lifetime. In a high school football game one Friday night, I got burned for a touchdown. The team called me “Toast” after that. It was just once! Sometimes names are hard on you. Sometimes they are wonderful.
Your own personal name is important. It’s yours. When people say your name, it’s special.
Jesus is called lots of names in the New Testament as well. He’s called Son of God, Messiah, teacher, rabbi, Lamb, Christ, Prince of Peace. One of the names Jesus calls himself and it’s used over 80 times in the Gospel accounts is the name “Son of Man”. That means something for us.
Son of Man indicates his purpose and identity. In Matthew 20:28, Jesus says, “The Son of Man came to serve others and give himself as a ransom for others.” In the Hebrew Bible, there are 250 prophetic sayings pointing to the coming Messiah and Son of Man. In Daniel 7, the prophet says that the Son of Man is coming and every race, language and culture will bow before him as the Name above all names.
Did you know the Son of Man was tempted just like we are? He fully understands what you are going through. He resonates with the difficult moments in our life. He acknowledges the relentless assault of the Devil as he tempts us everyday.
In Matthew 4, as Jesus, the Son of Man begins his ministry, he is led into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. Jesus withstands every attack of Satan. Every temptation is warded off by using scripture and the Spirit. Jesus understands our desire to satisfy our appetites, achieving status, compromising moral principles. He’s gone through it all by verse 11 in Matthew 4.
It reminds me we have a Savior who fully understands our human-ness and loves us anyway. Jesus is God in the flesh. He believes in you as much as you believe in him. So take heart. While Satan shows no signs of ever giving up his hope to ruin our relationship with God in the Flesh, we can overcome whatever he throws at us be staying connected to and standing firm in the Name above all names, Jesus the Christ! Blessings on your journey.