Daniel’s Vision of the Cloud-Riding King

November 22, 2015
First Reading: Daniel 7:13-14
http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/112215.cfm

Jesus’ real identity is easy to miss. Many people want to dismiss him as yet another religious teacher, as a guru, a holy man. Even Christians can think of his identity out of context, losing track of how Jesus actually identified himself when he walked on the earth. When Jesus talks about himself in the gospels, he almost always refers to himself as “the Son of man.” This title shows up 86 times in the New Testament. It sounds vague, general, a title that seemingly could be used for any man. And yet in this Sunday’s first reading from Daniel 7, we find exactly what Jesus was referring to.

Daniel’s Visions

When we think of the Book of Daniel, we usually think of the stories we remember: Daniel in the Lions’ Den, the Three Young Men in the Fiery Furnace, the writing on the wall, and so on. But Daniel also includes a six chapters of visions. The prophet Daniel was not just a cool biblical character for children’s stories, but a visionary. However, his visions are not easy to understand. They include weird creatures, bizarre multiplications of days and weeks, angels, battles, and strange interpretations. His visions point forward to the New Testament and even to the end of time. Our reading comes in the middle of a sequence of visions. Daniel has already seen a succession of beasts that represent successive kingdoms, and he has even had a vision of the Ancient of Days seated on his throne in heaven (7:9-10). Now he looks and sees “with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man” (7:13).

The Son of Man in the Old Testament

But who is the “son of man”? In the Old Testament, this phrase is often used to refer to any man in general, like the older English term “everyman.” In fact, the phrase sometimes derogates humanity, as when one of Job’s friends compares men to maggots and worms (Job 25:6). The Book of Ezekiel uses the phrase 93 times to identify the prophet. It appears to be a way of indicating humanity in an exact sense, that is, in contrast with other types of being. Numbers 23:19 even tells us explicitly that God is not a man, nor a son of man. So Daniel’s use of the phrase is not that surprising. Just a chapter later “son of man” actually refers to Daniel himself (8:17). Yet Daniel’s phrase “son of man” becomes a catch-phrase, a title of rich significance, by New Testament times.

Who is the Son of Man?

In Daniel’s vision, the “one like a son of man” arrives on clouds at the throne of the Ancient of Days. Scholars debate over whether the son of man could be St. Michael the Archangel (Dan 12:1) or the people of God who receive a kingdom later on in the series of visions (Dan 7:27). But before answering who the son of man is, we should look at what happens to him. First, he makes his entrance as a cloud-rider. The idea of riding on the clouds in the OT is specifically linked with the Lord’s divine authority (Ps 104:3; Isa 19:1). Second, the Ancient of Days grants the son of man “dominion and glory and kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away” (Dan 7:14). So the son of man is not just any guy, nor is he an invisible angel, nor can he easily be boxed in as mere symbol for the people. Rather, he is an individual who comes to reign as everlasting and universal king.

Who Does Jesus Claim to Be?

When Jesus arrives on the scene and he starts referring to himself as “the Son of man,” he is not merely using a poetic nicety to talk about himself in the third person. He is actually identifying himself as the son of man from Daniel’s prophecy, not-so-subtly indicating his royal identity. In fact, the question of who Jesus is will be the fundamental question of his capital trial. The mysterious of the identity of Jesus—is he a prophet? Is he Elijah? Is he the Messiah?—will be wrapped in secrecy until he stands before the Sanhedrin. Jesus hides his true identity and his true claims quite effectively until the moment appointed for his sacrifice. When he stands trial and the prosecutor’s witnesses offer conflicting testimony about whether Jesus actually blasphemed or not, the high priest asks him directly: “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” (Mark 14:61). This time, rather than hiding who he is, Jesus identifies himself by alluding to our reading from Daniel: “I am; and you will see the Son of man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven” (Mark 14:62 RSV). Jesus identifies himself clearly as the son of man, the king, the messiah, the one who comes on the clouds. Not only will he arrive before the throne of the Ancient of Days, but he will sit at God’s right hand. He will be a human king (hence, the son of man), but he will also be a divine king (hence, his presence at God’s throne).

The Mission of the Son of Man

But what does it mean for Jesus to be king? On the one hand, he fulfills all the prophecies about the new David-like king in the Old Testament. Many passages point toward this Messiah (“anointed one” like the king) who will restore the fortunes of God’s people. Yet Jesus’ kingship is not at all what people expected. He came not as a victorious, military leader, but as a humble servant, a secret king with a hidden kingdom. He says to Pilate, “My kingship is not of this world” (John 18:36 RSV). Jesus’ kingship is far greater than the wildest dreams of ancient Jews. He, as Son of man, will reign over “all peoples, nations, and languages.” He reigns as king over the entire universe. And indeed, when St. Stephen has a vision of the heavenly court, he sees “the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God” (Acts 7:56). Jesus’ mission is to reign as king over all. In the end, “every knee should bow, in heaven and earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil 2:10-11).

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Mark Giszczak (“geese-check”) was born and raised in Ann Arbor, MI. He studied philosophy and theology at Ave Maria College in Ypsilanti, MI and Sacred Scripture at the Augustine Institute of Denver, CO. He recently received his Ph. D. in Biblical Studies at the Catholic University of America. He currently teaches courses in Scripture at the Augustine Institute, where he has been on faculty since 2010. Dr. Giszczak has participated in many evangelization projects and is the author of the CatholicBibleStudent.com blog. He has written introductions to every book of the Bible that are hosted at CatholicNewsAgency.com. Dr. Giszczak, his wife and their daughter, live in Colorado where they enjoy camping and hiking in the Rocky Mountains.

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