01 Nov “Greater Things”

It’s a stunning promise:

¹² Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. ¹³ And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. ¹⁴ You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. John 14:12-14 (NIV)

Jesus’ disciples saw Him perform miracles. What could he have possibly meant by: “Whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” Biblical scholars have been debating the meaning for twenty centuries.

Oswald Chambers posited that Jesus was referring to the power of prayer for others available to us on this side of the cross when we receive the Holy Spirit. A popular theory is that Jesus was aware of the advancements in transportation and communication that would make global spread of the gospel possible in a way unimaginable in His time on earth. Remember, Jesus spread the Good News at three miles an hour (on foot) and often to one person at a time. Let’s take a look at some key elements in Jesus’ statement about greater works:

1. The People He mentions: all who believe in Him
2. The Promise: These people will do greater things
3. The Power: The Holy Spirit in us
4. The Premise: This will happen because He is going to the Father

To understand the “greater power,” it might be helpful to consider two well-known chapters of the Bible: John 3 and Acts 2.

In John 3, Nicodemus, a Pharisee, has a late-night meeting with Jesus. The Pharisees were the ruling Jewish class that perceived Jesus as a threat to their authority. Nicodemus, it appears, was receptive to Jesus’ message and chose to meet with Him. Jesus baffles Nicodemus with an earthly metaphor:

³ Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” ⁴ “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” ⁵ Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. ⁶ Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. ⁷ You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ ⁸ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”  “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked. John 3:3-8 (NIV)

Jesus was telling Nicodemus that, through the power of the Spirit, those who accept him will become a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). Because Jesus had not yet been crucified and resurrected, His words were confusing to Nicodemus. Now contrast that with Peter in Acts 2. We see in Acts 1:8 that Jesus promises the Holy Spirit will come and He then ascends into heaven. We see that happen in Acts 2. We then see Peter, the same man who abandoned Jesus when He was arrested, now speak with the boldness of the Spirit:

³⁸ Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹ The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” ⁴⁰ With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” ⁴¹ Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. Acts 2:38-40 (NIV)

Peter, restored by Jesus and empowered by the Spirit, the same Peter who abandoned Jesus, gives a sermon that resulted in three thousand people coming to Christ. No notes, no slide presentation. No worship team playing contemporary music to fire up the crowd. Spirit-guided words from a true believer. So, as we look at the four points above, what we see is:

Jesus was not promising that every believer would perform more spectacular miracles than He did. He was promising that His work would continue and expand through His followers after His return to the Father, as the gospel went into the world through the power of the Holy Spirit. Sharing the gospel through the power of the Spirit, praying for others through the power of the Spirit, doing good works as guided by the Spirit. And this is not limited to those of us who have been called to ministry as their vocation.

Remember, all those who believe in Him. Yes, 21st-century technology lets each and every one of us do this on a global scale. But let’s never forget that the Power, the Promise, and the Premise can work through us all, sharing the Good News one person at a time. Because on this side of the cross, “greater things than these” are available to us all!

Pastor Jerry Bader