When we use the phrase “son of,” we mean something specific. Assuming we aren’t prone to profanity, we mean to mention a given person’s parents. “He’s the son of J.J. and Isabel” or “He’s the son of the pastor.” We use the phrase to give information about a person’s origin: “He owes his existence and wellbeing to J.J. and Isabel.”
But ancient people used the phrase differently. Rather than using it to describe a person’s origin, they used it to describe his character or his likeness with someone or something. For example, two of Jesus’ followers, James and John, were called “sons of thunder.” A character we meet later in the New Testament, named Barnabas, was known as the “son of encouragement.” They didn’t mean that Thunder and Encouragement literally gave birth; they were being descriptive: James and John were like thunder; Barnabas was like encouragement.
So when the Bible says Jesus is the Son of God, it doesn’t mean that YHWH literally gave birth to Jesus. (The Bible is clear about who Jesus’ birth parents were.) It means that the Son is exactly like the Father; Jesus is exactly like God. God the Father and God the Son are both eternal, self-existing and fully equal in their Persons. Neither owes His origin or wellbeing to the other. Neither brought the other into existence. Neither is superior to or greater than the other. They are alike.
Whatever the Father is, God the Son is also. Any glory or praise or worship the one is entitled to receive, the other deserves as well. That’s why praying to Jesus is acceptable and so is singing to Him.
To say that Jesus is the Son of God is to say that His nature is one and the same with the Father and the Holy Spirit, that He is divine in His very essence. Father, Son and Spirit are united by virtue of Their shared deity.
Jesus’ three closest friends stood there on the mountain, mouths agape, watching the whole thing unfurl before their eyes. What were they supposed to think? Here stood Moses and Elijah, talking with their friend Jesus as casually as you might chat with your next-door neighbour over the fence on a Saturday afternoon. The author of the Law and the greatest miracle-working prophet in Jewish history — they were rock stars, and they were standing so close that the disciples could hear them talking.
Once again, Peter blurted out the first thing that popped into his head: “Let’s build some kind of monument to mark this momentous occasion. No, wait! Three monuments; one for each of you!”
And then came the Voice: “This one is my Son. He’s the one I love. Listen to Him.” Moses was great, but he wasn’t the Son of God. Elijah was great, but he wasn’t the Son of God.
There’s only one Son of God—the One and Only—sent from the Father to save the world. That’s Jesus. He’s the one we should listen to.
Prayer
Jesus, You are the wonderful Counsellor, mighty God, eternal Father, Prince of peace, holy One, Lamb of God, Prince of life, Lion of the tribe of Judah, Root of David, Word of life, Lord of all, Son of God, Shepherd and Guardian of souls, the Messiah. You are the I AM, the bright morning Star, the chief Shepherd, the Head of the Church, the Sun of righteousness, the Resurrection and the Life, the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last, and the Way, the Truth and the Life. May I willingly submit to Your lordship over every area of my life; may I abide in You, hope in You, trust in You, love You, obey You and follow You in all You tell me to do for Your sake. Then I will see, with greater clarity, that Your service is true freedom, that Your yoke is light, and that Your cross is glorious.
In Jesus’s name, Amen
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