All this week on Things Unseen we've been reflecting on the question that Jesus asked

the disciples at Caesarea Philippi.

Who do you say that I am?

And we've thought about the two great titles that Simon Peter used in his answer, you

are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.

But at the end yesterday I mentioned a third title used for the Lord Jesus, but not one

that Peter used.

In fact, and this is actually significant, it's not a title that's ever found in the lips

of any of the apostles, although it appears frequently in their writings.

In fact, apart from what amounts to a quotation in John chapter 12 verse 34, only two people

have ever used it.

John is the martyr Stephen, who used it in the moments just before he died.

I wonder if you remember he said, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing

at the right hand of God.

The other person who used it, well of course it's the Lord Jesus himself.

And he used it at Caesarea Philippi, remember when he asked the disciples, who do people

say that the Son of Man is?

The Son of Man is an expression that occurs around I think 80 times in the gospels.

And we could say it's not only Jesus' unique way of describing himself, because basically

nobody else uses the title, it's actually his favourite way of talking about his own

ministry.

Now many Christians have been taught to think that Son of God refers to Jesus deity while

...