“And He said to him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.’” (John 1:51)
Jesus is the Son of God. But He also calls Himself repeatedly the “Son of Man”. This phrase does not just mean that Jesus is truly human. It says that He is the ultimate Man.
The prophet Daniel describes a vision he had, in which he saw God sitting on his throne, in all his splendor. Then he saw “one like a son of man”, to whom God gave everlasting dominion over all peoples, nations and languages. Jesus refers to this prophecy and applies it to himself. So, by using the phrase “Son of Man”, Jesus implies that He will become King of the universe.
Jesus also says that his disciples will see “the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man”. This refers to the story of Jacob in Bethel, where Jacob had a dream in which the angels were ascending and descending on a ladder, thereby bridging the gap between God and man.
This image perfectly fits with Jesus’ mission. He has come to reconcile humans to God (see Romans 5:10) and to restore their relationship. Jesus descended, so to speak, to make God known to us and to bring us back to our Creator.
Do you understand why it was necessary for Jesus to “descend”?