“The Son of Man” by J. D. Jones

Notes taken from Paul’s Certainties by J. D. Jones. Chapter 3 contains the sermon called “The Son of Man” based on Jesus’ question in Matthew 16:13, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” Dr. Jones explains what it means to call Jesus the “Son of man.»

“We are perhaps more familiar with difficulties about Christ’s divinity than we are with difficulties about Christ’s humanity. And yet in the early centuries it was Christ’s humanity that was the trouble.”

“He was not a stranger from another world sojourning for a while with an alien race ; He belonged to the race among whom He sojourned. He was bone of their bone, flesh of their flesh. He was the Son of man.»

“He is revealed to us as sharing in the ordinary emotions of human nature. He marvels; He is surprised; He is touched with compassion; He is grieved; He is angry; He is moved with indignation; He is tempted. ’ He was made in all things like unto His brethren.’ He was as real a man as either you or I. Human affections, emotions, feelings, powers—He knew them all. He was the Son of man.”

“He used the hammer and the chisel and the saw as any joiner in our town did yesterday. He had the workman’s hard and often grimy hand. He hungered, thirsted, grew tired, slept, ate, wept, rejoiced, was glad, was sorry, just like you and me. He was ’ one of us.’ He was the Son of man.”

“The best of ordinary men are partial, one-sided, and imperfect. Their very greatness is fragmentary and incomplete.”

“I look at one man and I find him the quality of strength ; I look at another and I find in him the quality of gentleness ; I look at one and I find in him a piercing intellect; I look at another and I find in him a loving heart. But I look at Jesus and I find in Him strength and gentleness, courage and tenderness, intellect and heart all united in their highest perfection.”

“Christ is absolutely free from local and national limitation. Born in Judea, He belongs to the world.”

“Jesus is a ’foreigner’ to no one. He speaks the universal speech because He unites all qualities in Himself.”

“Jesus was born twenty centuries ago, but He is not out of date. No one has proposed to supersede Him. You have to make no allowances for His day. His speech is modern speech. His truth is modern truth. His speech is for all time, and His truth is for all time, because it is eternal speech and eternal truth, He is the same yesterday, to-day, yea, and for ever. Time does not touch or affect Him.”

“For who can this ageless, universal, perfect Man, this man who sums up all things in Himself, be but the Son of God ? And if He be the Son of God, what are you going to do with Him?”