“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these will he do; because I go unto my Father.”
What could Jesus mean that future believers would do greater works than the mighty works that He did? To my knowledge none of the disciples ever turned water into wine, or fed five thousand people with just a small amount of food. They did see miraculous things happen, and were used mightily in spreading the gospel, but they could not defy nature as Jesus did. What did Jesus mean when He promised greater works? Notice that he concluded this statement in verse 12: “because I go unto my Father.” What would happen when He went to the Father? Read John 14:16: “And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another comforter, that He may abide with you forever.” In John 16:7 Jesus said: “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth; it is expedient for you that I go away, for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but If I depart, I will send Him unto you.” The “greater works” that Jesus spoke of depended on the coming of the Holy Spirit to His people. We can interpret “greater works” as broader works than Jesus did in His earthly ministry. Jesus’ ministry was confined to Palestine and a few outlying areas. While He was on earth and before His resurrection, Jesus could multiply food, but He was never in different places at the same time. But after His ascending to the Father, He would send the Holy Spirit and the work would begin to spread around the world. Certainly, the disciples could not, and would not, make a claim that their work was better, or more powerful, than Jesus’ work, but it was more widespread. The Holy Spirit would refine and deepen their work. For example, in John 16:13-14 Jesus said: “Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will show you things to come. 14. He shall glorify Me: for He shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you.” The Holy Spirit would deepen the disciple’s understanding of what Jesus taught them while He was physically with them. He would also spread the glory of Jesus' name through the disciples. (Keep in mind that this promise applies to us as well as to the early disciples.) In Acts 1:8, just before He ascended, Jesus said: “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” These are the “greater works” Jesus spoke about. The gospel would not be contained in Jerusalem but would spread from there in concentric circles until it reached around the world. This was, and is, through the ministry and power of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers. We do not do better works than Jesus, rather, our work is more widespread because of the Holy Spirit. Let me illustrate this for you. After Paul was saved and the word began to spread into Gentile territory, a work was begun among the Gentiles in Antioch of Syria. Paul and Barnabas were ministering there before they were sent on what we call their first “missionary journey.” How did it happen? Read on in Acts 13:2-3: “As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, Separate unto me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. 3. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.” They didn’t devise the idea of missions; it was the work of the Holy Spirit, the same Holy Spirit promised by Jesus. That was, and is, “the greater work.” Get excited now: we are part of this “greater work” too as we witness to the world and as we give to send others to other parts of the world. Wow! It’s personal. Rejoice! Bro. Joe
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AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
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September 2021
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