🎧 13:49 - 16:11 (02:22)

The phrase 'son of Elohim' in the Hebrew Bible refers to a member of the class of spiritual beings. It is used to describe beings who share a spiritual nature like the one true God. However, in the story of the Hebrew Bible, God also appoints certain human representatives to be his son, such as David and the line of kings from David. These human representatives, including the future Messiah, are called 'my son' and are expected to rule over the nations and bring God's heavenly rule to earth. Additionally, Israel as a whole is called God's son, as God refers to them as 'my firstborn son' in Exodus chapter 4. This designation serves to demonstrate that Israel is chosen by God to rule the nations instead of Egypt, which was claiming to be chosen by God.

Tim Mackie: I always get

Jon Collins: a bit turned around with these phrases, son of God and son of man. They're very similar phrases. We're introduced up top with Mark as the son of God. And then here in the baptism, just a few verses later, he's called God's beloved son. Yeah. Yeah, what is the title, son of God? Maybe start there, just re-upload that in my mind. Yeah.

Tim Mackie: Well, I mean, there's many levels of context for it. So the phrase son of Elohim in Hebrew Bible means a member of the class of spiritual beings. So this is what the spiritual beings in Genesis 6 are called. That's the first time the phrase is used. Son of Elohim is of not of the Messiah, but of spiritual beings. And that's a common phrase actually to refer to beings who share in the class of having spiritual nature like the one true God. So the B'nai Elohim is used in the Psalms, Psalm 29, Psalm 82, Psalm 89, to refer to spiritual beings. But in the story of the Hebrew Bible, God appoints certain human representatives to be his son. And specifically, David and the line of kings from David in 2 Samuel chapter 7, and then in Psalm 2, which supplies the language for God's quote right here, God appoints a Messiah, a king who's from the line of David, who is one day going to rule over the nations and bring God's heavenly rule to earth. And so that human one who is God's vehicle to be his rule on earth is called my son in Psalm 2. And also Israel was called God's son. Thank you. Yes, actually in Exodus chapter 4, God calls Israel my firstborn son, which we talked about earlier in the series because Israel was not the firstborn among the nations. And in that moment, Egypt was claiming to be the one chosen by God to rule the nations, which is why they enslave other nations. And God is saying, actually, it's your slaves, one of those people groups is my firstborn son. So

Jon Collins: be

🎧 43:47 - 46:30 (02:43)

Jesus is the son of God, not just in the same way that humans are the image of God, but he is the image of God that humans imitate. The baptism reveals that his human sonship is important but not its primary focus. His lineage connects him to the servant, Jesse, and Adam, symbolizing a new Adam. However, he is more than just a new human or a new David. The baptism shows that he is the revelation of God's own self, representing the father, son, and spirit working together. Jesus is the chosen son, unexpected and from a lower social status. Yet, his identity as the son of God is emphasized, pointing to his power and authority. There are two ways that Jesus is the son of God: through his human lineage and through his eternal sonship as the revelation of the father.

Jon Collins: He is the son of God and not just the way that a human is the image of God, but he is the image of God, which humans image.

Tim Mackie: Yes. And actually, let me clarify. So in Luke putting the genealogy and saying, he the son of Joseph, so it was supposed. And that's the lineage that he takes all the way down to Adam, the son of God. But

Jon Collins: the baptism, that's about God saying, look, you are my beloved son.

Tim Mackie: Yeah. In other words, his human sonship from Joseph is important, crucially important. Yes. But that's not what the baptism is about. The baptism— His human, yeah, his human, like Joseph lineage connects

Jon Collins: him to the servant as being from Jesse. And being from Adam. And then being from Adam, yeah. A new Adam. And

Tim Mackie: that's important. Like he's a human. A new new Adam. He's a new human, new David, new Adam. However, he's more than just that. And the baptism is about how he actually is the revelation of God's own self. And God is presented as being Father, Son, and Spirit working in concert to do what no sons of Adam and Eve have ever been able to do. So here we have the chosen son. And in all the narratives before we've gone through,

Jon Collins: the chosen son was unexpected choice. And here, that's also in the subtext. He's this unexpected, you know,

Tim Mackie: small town guy. Born to a, I mean, born to an unwed mother, a teenager. Yeah. And she's definitely in lower social status than the other people in the story around her, like a priest, you know, Zechariah. But that's the one God has chosen. But then in another sense, like

Jon Collins: his identity is told to us right off the bat, which is like, no, this isn't like God choosing the lesser son. Yes, exactly. And inverting power. This is the guy. Like this is the son of God. So he is the true firstborn. And we'll get into that more because I know Paul used that language. Yeah,

Tim Mackie: so these two ways that Jesus is a son of God, one is through his human lineage. It goes through Joseph, Mary, and links back to Adam. And that's crucial for him coming as a human to do for humans what no human seems to be able to do. But the baptism is revealing this other aspect of his identity that in appearing among us as a son of Adam, that one is at the same time the eternal

Jon Collins: son

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