Jesus’ claim of divinity is shown most clearly in the Gospel of Mark. At the end of chapter 14, Jesus stands on trial before the High Priest, and answers the question, “Who are you?”

Mark 14:61-62 (NKJV)

But He kept silent and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked Him, saying to Him, “Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” Jesus said, “I am. And you will see the Son of Man  sitting at the right hand of the Power,  and coming with the clouds of heaven.”

These statements by Jesus might leave us scratching our heads in confusion in the 21st century, but His message was clearly understood by the high priests. Jesus here refers to Himself as the God revealed in the Old Testament, specifically referred to in Daniel Chapter 7.

Daniel 7:13-14 (NKJV)

“I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed.

Here are a few pointers to note:

• The Bible references the One who ‘comes with the clouds of Heaven’ as the God Yahweh.
• He looked like the Son of Man / having human form (referencing to Jesus).
• This Son of Man also approached the Ancient of Days (term for God’s sovereignty), who is God Himself.
• This person was given all Glory, Authority, and Sovereign power (the same glory due to God).
• Every nation and language will worship this person.

When Jesus uses the phrase ‘Son of Man,’ He confirms that He is the same man identified in Daniel Chapter 7.  Jesus is affirming that He is a heavenly being appointed by the Ancient of Days (7:9) to be the Lord of the earth and to receive the kingdom forever (vv. 13–14). The Son of Man, having descended from heaven, returns there and is enthroned in glory. So, when Jesus called Himself the Son of Man, He was not practicing humility rather He was claiming to have divine origin.

Some confuse the phrase ‘Son of Man’ by saying it is only the human title of Jesus, whereas ‘Son of God’ is His divine title. However, the opposite is true. There were many ‘Sons of God’ are mentioned in the Bible, such as Adam and Moses, but  there is only one divine ‘Son of Man’ referenced in the Old Testament, and Jesus claimed to be that.

This is also evidenced by the high priests’ reaction, who were eager to stone Him for claiming divinity.

Lastly, no other prophets had ever claimed to sit at the right hand of God, which meant to rule the universe having the same authority as Him. In the Old Testament, Moses stood with God, Enoch stood with God, and Adam walked with God, but no one is ever depicted to be sitting with God.

Jesus claimed to be God and is now seated at the Father’s right hand with sovereign power, glory, and authority.