A remarkable incident occurred some years ago when a Christian called upon God in a time of great danger. A 12-car passenger train was speeding along in eastern Missouri. On board were hundreds of happy children on their way to Sunday school picnic. The sky was cloudless when the excursion began, but it wasn’t long before they ran into a severe thunderstorm. The heavy downpour caused the concerned engineer to slow down to about 35 miles an hour. As the train rounded a curve, the man saw that the switch just ahead had been left wide open. He jammed on the brakes, but he was sure they faced certain disaster.

“Stick with it!” he shouted to the fireman. “Hundreds of children are on board.” “I intend to!” came the reply. Then the fireman, who was a Christian, cried, “O God, help us!” His words were drowned out by a thunderclap as a bolt of lightning struck right in front of the engine.

The next thing they knew, they were safely past the danger point. After stopping the train, the men hurried back to find out what had happened. To their amazement they discovered that the lightning had struck the rails and closed the switch. This in turn kept them from being shunted onto a spur which would have caused certain derailment.

—Henry Bosch

Jesus’ Use of “Son of Man”

Jesus’ use of “Son of Man” language in the New Testament Gospels draw on Jewish traditions regarding the phrase found in both the Old Testament and apocalyptic literature. In particular, Jesus’ “Son of Man” sayings reflect the connection between the themes of suffering, enthronement, and authority that appear in the narrative of Daniel’s vision. There are four general ways in which Jesus uses “Son of Man” language in the New Testament Gospels: 1) to refer to Himself; 2) to describe His authority and earthly ministry; 3) to anticipate His suffering and death; and 4) to anticipate His future exaltation and glory.

There are two aspects to Jesus’ declaration that he came to serve. The first declares his unique work. When Jesus says he “came to serve,” he hints at his preexistence and his divine mission. Before Jesus came to us, he was somewhere else. He came here to accomplish something, a God-given mission. He came “to call … sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:32). He came “to seek and to save what was lost” (Luke 19:10). He “did not come to judge the world, but to save it” (John 12:46–47). He “came into the world to save sinners” (1 Tim. 1:15).