The Significance of “The Son”
One of the most profound titles Jesus used to describe Himself is the Son. This title, along with Son of God, appears frequently in the Gospels and carries deep theological implications. Unlike the term Son of Man, which has roots in Old Testament prophecy, the Son highlights Jesus’ unique relationship with God the Father. In this second part of the series, we will explore how the Son in Jesus’ identity reveals His divine origin, mission, and unity with the Father.
The Political and Religious Origins of “Son of God”
The title Son of God originated in the ancient Near East as part of political theology. Kings were often referred to as “sons of God,” indicating divine favour and authority. In Israel, this title took on a new meaning. Benedict XVI notes that “Moses received from God himself the commission to say to Pharaoh: ‘Thus says YHWH, Israel is my firstborn son’” (Ex 4:22).1 Here, Son of God represents a special relationship between Israel and God, where the king embodies Israel’s status as God’s firstborn.
In this context, the Son of God title conveyed authority, election, and the hope for a future, ideal king. But as Benedict explains, the early Christians saw this hope fulfilled in Jesus’ resurrection. They proclaimed that Jesus was not merely a political figure but the true Son of God in a completely new sense. This shift is a crucial part of how the Son in Jesus’ identity is understood by early Christians.
Jesus as “The Son”
While Son of God is significant, the term the Son is much more personal and intimate in Jesus’ self-description. In the Gospels, Jesus refers to Himself as the Son without further qualification, indicating a direct, unique relationship with God. This title appears frequently in the Gospel of John, where the relationship between Father and Son is a central theme. Jesus says, “All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son” (Matthew 11:27).2 This profound statement reveals that the relationship between Jesus and God is one of perfect unity in will and being.
As Benedict writes, “Only the Son truly ‘knows’ the Father. Knowing always involves some sort of equality.” The Son reflects a unique knowing, an intimate communion with the Father that cannot be shared by any other being. The relational aspect of this title highlights Jesus’ divine origin and His mission to reveal the Father to the world.
Unity of Will Between the Father and the Son
The title the Son reveals not only a relationship of knowledge but also a unity of will between Jesus and God the Father. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus emphasises that His actions are in complete harmony with the will of the Father. In John 5:30, Jesus declares, “I seek not my own will, but the will of him who sent me.”3 This oneness of will underscores the unique mission of the Son—to bring humanity into communion with God.
Benedict XVI draws attention to the Mount of Olives, where Jesus unites His human will with the Father’s will, saying, “Not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42). This act of obedience reveals the core of Jesus’ mission: as the Son, He is sent to do the Father’s will perfectly. Through His obedience, He invites us into this same unity with God, drawing humanity into the divine relationship of Father and Son.
The Father’s Revelation Through the Son
One of the central aspects of Jesus’ identity as the Son is His role in revealing the Father. In the Gospels, Jesus frequently points out that no one can know the Father except through the Son. He says in John 14:9, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.”4 This means that Jesus, as the Son, is the perfect representation of the Father. Benedict explains, “Only the Son knows the Father, and all real knowledge of the Father is a participation in the Son’s filial knowledge of him.”
This revelation of the Father is central to Jesus’ mission. Through His teachings, actions, and especially His prayer, Jesus shows the world what God is truly like. As the Son, Jesus reveals a God who is not distant or inaccessible but intimately involved in the lives of His children. Through this revelation, Jesus calls His followers into a new relationship with God, where they too can become children of God by participating in the Son’s relationship with the Father.
The Son’s Mission and the Cross
The mission of the Son ultimately finds its fulfilment on the Cross. Jesus’ identity as the Son is inseparable from His sacrificial love, where He fully accomplishes the will of the Father. Benedict emphasises that the title the Son is deeply tied to the Paschal mystery—the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus. He writes, “The mystery of Trinitarian love that comes to light in the term ‘the Son’ is perfectly one with the Paschal Mystery of love that Jesus brings to fulfilment in history.”
On the Cross, Jesus demonstrates the depth of His obedience and love, fully uniting His will with the Father’s in the ultimate act of self-giving. His sacrifice is the culmination of His identity as the Son. Through His death, Jesus opens the way for humanity to enter into the same filial relationship with God. The resurrection confirms this relationship, as God raises the Son in victory, revealing the power of love and obedience.
The Son and the New Covenant
Jesus, as the Son, inaugurates a new covenant between God and humanity. In His death and resurrection, Jesus establishes a new relationship between God and His people, one that is marked by intimacy, love, and divine adoption. Benedict notes that through the Son, we are drawn into the relationship of Father and Son: “In union with Him, we may unite our wills with the Father’s will, thus becoming sons in our turn.”
This new covenant calls for discipleship, where believers are invited to share in the life of the Son by following His example of love and obedience. The title the Son highlights that Jesus is not just a messenger or a prophet but the very source of the new life God offers to humanity. Through Him, we are adopted into the family of God and can call God “Father” as Jesus does.
The Son’s Revelation of the Father’s Love
The Son in Jesus’ identity is a title that encapsulates His unique mission and relationship with God the Father. It reveals His divine origin, His perfect unity of will with the Father, and His role in bringing humanity into communion with God. Through His life, death, and resurrection, Jesus, the Son, opens the way for all to enter into the same intimate relationship with the Father. As Benedict XVI concludes, the term the Son “gives us a true glimpse into the inner being of Jesus—indeed, into the inner being of God himself.”
Footnotes
- And you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, Israel is my first-born son, ↩︎
- All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. ↩︎
- “I can do nothing on my own authority; as I hear, I judge; and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me. ↩︎
- Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you do not know me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? ↩︎
