It is sometimes assumed that our Lord’s use of the title “Son of Man” is meant to emphasize His humanity. But is that true? William Lane Craig writes: “‘Son of Man’ is often thought to indicate the humanity of Jesus, just as the reflex expression ‘Son of God’ indicates His divinity. In fact, just the opposite is true. The Son of Man was a divine figure in the Old Testament book of Daniel who would come at the end of the world to judge mankind and rule forever. Thus the claim to be the Son of Man would be, in effect, a claim to divinity” (The Son Rises: Historical Evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus, p. 140). When our Lord spoke of His crucifixion (while claiming to be Israel’s Messiah), the people were confused: “We have heard from the law that the Christ [Messiah] remains forever; and how can You say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this Son of Man?” (Jn 12:34). Clearly they understood that His use of the term was equivalent to being God’s Anointed One.