For those of you who may not be fans of the television series Seinfeld, there is an episode which introduces a character named Jimmy. The odd thing about Jimmy is that he refers to himself in the third person. He gets a new pair of athletic shoes and tells his friends, “Jimmy’s got some new moves!” This style of speech rubs off on George, who starts saying things like, “George is getting upset!” or “George likes spicy chicken.” This is all done for laughs on the show, but wouldn’t it be odd if you had a friend who actually talked that way? Well, did Jesus talk that way?
George starts talking like “the Jimmy,” Seinfeld, episode 19 of season 6.
According to the gospel of Luke and traditional Christian doctrine Jesus ascended to heaven after his resurrection, one day to return and bring this world to an end and take the faithful to heaven. Is that what Jesus said? If so, when did he say it would happen?
Let’s look at a passage in Mark, our earliest gospel.
“For whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” Mark 8:38
Tradition assumes that Jesus is cryptically referring to himself as the “Son of Man” (or simply, “son of man”). If one did not have this preconception, one would think Jesus is talking about someone else. I mean, who goes around speaking of himself in the first person and then in the third person within one sentence? Later in Mark 13 Jesus predicts the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem and then the disciples Peter, James, John and Andrew ask for details. Jesus describes a time of tribulation in Judea and concludes:
“But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then He will send forth the angels, and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven. Mark 13:24-27
Once again Jesus refers to the coming Son of Man in the third person. If this is Jesus talking about himself it is kind of like Jimmy and George on Seinfeld: it’s funny but it ain’t normal. If Jesus is talking about himself, why in this way? He is speaking to four of his close disciples here. Why would he conceal from them his identity as the Son of Man? To be sure, there are passages in which Jesus seems to use the phrase “son of man” for himself, or perhaps to humans in general (e.g., when he claimed the authority to forgive sins, as in Mark 2:10, or authority over the Sabbath, as in Mark 2:28). The phrase “son of man” simply means “human” as opposed to one who is divine. If you use an online concordance to look up the passages using “son of man” in the Old Testament it is clearly used to refer to a human. Even in Daniel when it is used for a messianic figure it says, “One like a son of man was coming…” to denote a human-like being (Daniel 7:13), and in the next chapter the phrase is used of human Daniel himself (8:17). In fact, when the image is explained to Daniel (7:18f) it seems to refer to God’s saints, His holy ones on earth, not a divine being.
The Son of Man – Jesus? – coming on the clouds…
My personal belief is that Jesus preached that a heavenly “Son of Man” was coming to bring God’s kingdom to earth. When Jesus was unexpectedly arrested and crucified his stunned followers did what members of a group like this typically do: they reinterpret their beliefs to maintain their validity. I mean, who wants to admit that they left everything to follow a mistaken messiah? “Ah, so Jesus was actually talking about himself! God raised him from the dead and exalted him to heaven and he’s the one coming back to establish God’s kingdom!” So we are left with some passages that read like Jesus was talking about someone else and others where he seems to be talking about himself. Read through the passages in which Jesus uses the phrase “son of man” and see if you can determine whether Jesus is speaking of himself or someone else. If Jesus was actually referring to someone else, then maybe he (Jesus) is not coming back, but rather we are to expect this other Son of Man.
Another question to deal with is, When is the Son of Man coming? That is a complex question and I will discuss it next week.
Thinking exercises:
1. When talking with your friends try referring to yourself as “the son of man” (or “the daughter of woman”) and see how they react. “The son of man watched the football game last night.” “The daughter of woman is going to a wedding this weekend.” You get the idea. See how it plays!
2. Or, simply use your name in the third person. “Doug likes pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving!” “Doug did not like the outcome of the football game last night.” How do you think your friends will react? Try it and see how they react!
3. Someone might use their own name to provide emphasis, like when politician Bob Dole would say things like, “Make no mistake, Bob Dole won’t veto those bills.” Or he might have been trying to increase his name recognition by repeating his name. But would that apply to Jesus using the phrase “Son of Man?” Wouldn’t that confuse his message more than help it?
One response to “65: Jesus and The Jimmy”
Maybe Jesus’s dialogue was written by a first-century past-life incarnation of Stan Lee, whose other characters likewise spoke of themselves in the third person? (“Hulk smash puny human apologetics!” “Beware lest your feeble rationalizations incur the wrath of DOOM!”)