The chapter seems pre-occupied with Christ's identity - Herod wonders about it, the disciples are quizzed over it, the Transfiguration reveals it, and throughout Christ is dropping hints about the coming crucifixion. In the middle of all of this, Jesus keeps referring to himself as the "Son of Man." I've always found that name a little curious.
Jesus is Son of God/Son of Man, fully human/fully divine. And like pretty much ever other Christian, I can accept that line, focus on part of it at a time, and struggle to wrap my mind around the full truth of it. But it always seems strange to me that while he's walking around on earth and talking with his disciples and curing some very physical diseases, Jesus keeps reminding everyone that he is a Son of Man - seems like that would be the most obvious part of his identity in this setting. Is Luke using this title to keep the church grounded in the physical realities of faith? Were the followers of Jesus at this time in danger of becoming too spiritualistic in his mind?
Rose's godmother is a bit of a Christian mystic, and the differences in the way she approaches her faith and I approach mine can be striking at times. Perhaps I've never really taken to the title "Son of Man" because that isn't where my faith needs to be stretched. Honestly, the opposite is more likely true. I need to spend more time in prayer, more time in awe, and more time with God's mysteries. Luke's work to ground me in the practical aspects of faith in Christ don't strike me because, in this case, he's preaching to the choir.
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