“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!”
John 14:12-14 NLT
On the face of it, Jesus made a remarkable statement. Could we, as His believers, really do greater things than the Son of God? After all, look at the miraculous healings and signs that Jesus performed. He raised men from the dead, He healed all those who came to Him, He walked on the Sea of Galilee. How can there be anything greater that these?
The crime novels major on a combination of three factors needed to solve a crime – means, motive, and opportunity. And in some ways we can apply these three factors to doing the same works as Jesus. But before we do so, what are the “works” that Jesus was referring to? Our human, materialistic minds immediately jump to something that applies to our natural lives. Jesus said, “You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father”. But would that new car, or new anything, come to that, bring glory to God? So did Jesus just mean works for God’s Kingdom? Perhaps only spiritual works?
To look at a New Testament example of a “great work“, we join Peter and John as they enter the Temple for the afternoon prayer meeting. At the gate was a beggar who was unable to walk and he asked them for some money. In Acts 3:6 we read, “But Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!”” Peter had the means – the name of Jesus Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit. He had the opportunity – an encounter at the Temple gate. He had the motive – to bring glory to God – Acts 3:13, “For it is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—the God of all our ancestors—who has brought glory to his servant Jesus by doing this. This is the same Jesus whom you handed over and rejected before Pilate, despite Pilate’s decision to release him”.
But as far as we know, the miraculous signs that Jesus performed while He was here with us have never been exceeded. Even His Spirit-filled disciples never fed thousands of people from a packed lunch, or walked across any seas. One example of “greater works” is possibly how the Apostles and others reached large numbers of people with the Good News of salvation. By the end of the book of Acts, the Gospel had reached most of the Middle East. Jesus only reached the people of Israel, and mainly Jews at that. Perhaps too the answers to prayer falls into the “greater works” category. With the coming of the Holy Spirit, amazing answers to prayers have been realised, as He lives and works through the lives of believers. But the key to performing “greater works” lies with Jesus’ simple requirement – “in my name”. Is what we do or pray for something that aligns with the name of Jesus? And we also must ask the question – does this “great work” bring glory to God? It isn’t possible to sit down and make a list of “greater works” because it is only through the Holy Spirit’s leading that a “great work” will arise. Sadly, there are many today who believe that the gifts of the Holy Spirit died out with the Apostles. But Jesus didn’t say that that was going to happen, and we pilgrims must always be on the look out for a Holy Spirit inspired opportunity to do a “great work” for God.
Mark’s closing verses in his Gospel read like this. “And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned. These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages. They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed”” (Mark 16:15-18). Can there be a “greater work” than this?
Dear Father God. We pray for opportunities to reach the lost around us. And we pray for the courage to reach out in faith by using the gifts You have given us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Being a Pilgrim 