Final answer:
Jesus preferred to call himself the Son of Man, while early Christians believed him to be the Messiah in a spiritual sense, offering salvation rather than political liberation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The title Jesus preferred to use for himself was c) Son of Man. While many of his followers, early Christians, and later religious thinkers have referred to Jesus as the Messiah, Jesus himself used the term 'Son of Man' more frequently in the gospels. The concept of the Messiah in Jewish doctrine is associated with the liberation of the Jews and the fulfillment of God's Covenant. However, after Jesus's death, because Judea remained under Roman rule, many Jews did not see Jesus as fulfilling the messianic prophecy. On the other hand, early Christians, inspired by Paul's teachings, believed that Jesus was indeed the Messiah in a spiritual sense, offering salvation and deliverance from sin, rather than leading a political revolution.