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 shall he do; because I go unto my Father ~ John 14:12.
Introduction
It is very clear to my mind that Jesus Christ gave us an amazing prophetic promise in John 14:12: “He that believeth on me, the works that I do …. and greater works than these shall he do”. This is simply breath-taking, isn’t it?
From basic physics, we learn that work is done when force covers a distance; otherwise, it is mere dummy dissipation. Hence, generally speaking, works talk of effective performances, to operate and to produce effects by actions or influence.
Ordinarily, work is either positive or negative. For instance, those who build a bridge are doing work, and those who blow it also. But the difference is very clear as to the nature of the work.
We are called unto good works, even as Christ gave us pure examples to follow in His steps (Ephesians 2:10; John 10:32; Acts 10:38). Every good work is performed today by Jesus Christ through us, to the glory of God, in Christ’s name (Philippians 1:11; Colossians 3:17). Moreover, in this class, we are also called unto greater works.
Understanding the Subject of “Greater Works”
The commonest interpretation of John 14:12 among believers today is that: whoever believes in Christ, from that day until now, would do mighty works that are greater, in the sense of being more impressive, bigger, grander, dramatic and wonder-inducing than He did.
There is an extent to which that opinion is very correct, and it should be a cause for rejoicing among saints. Yes, the apostles did some extraordinary miracles.
For example, the shadow of Peter healed the diseased (Acts 5:15). Handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched Paul caused demons to be cast out, and sicknesses to be healed (Acts 19:12). Again, Elymas the sorcerer was struck blind by the word of Paul (Acts 13:11).
No doubt, these were great dimensions of divine work; yet, I submit that it’s very hard to imagine what miracles could surpass what Jesus Christ did. Like what? What could be more impressive than raising the dead, walking on water, and feeding 5,000 with few loaves of bread and pieces of fish?
I strongly perceive that Jesus Christ was referring to something notably astounding, even beyond miraculous deeds and physical healing. But, what could this be? Happily, there are some useful pointers to this fact in John’s gospel.
For instance, Jesus said: “This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent” (John 6:29). That’s a very strong fundamental note, implying that every work that generates faith in Jesus is God’s work.
He also spoke to the Judeans about these “greater works” in John 5:20-29, which further helps to establish what He actually meant by it.
In effect, He was saying: “I can only heal because it’s what my Father is doing, but what will really make you marvel is the greater works that are coming — the gift of resurrection life to anyone who believes in me”.
Hence, Jesus spoke there of “greater works” in the context of giving eternal life to anybody who believes in Him. Thus, whereas prophetic insight and physical healing are “great” works, giving someone eternal life is even “greater”.
Certainly, Jesus wasn’t disparaging the miraculous; far from it. He was only emphasizing that our context and focus for the miraculous must always be to lead others to Christ. In many parts of the New Testament, therefore, miraculous deeds are presented as “signs” pointing to who Jesus really is (John 4:48).
What a great privilege and a wonder indeed that those who believe in Christ are able to minister eternal life to others! To this end, I think a new “amplified version” of John 14:12 should read, thus:
“I’m telling you the truth, if anyone believes in me, they’ll do the things I’ve been doing — miraculous healings, deliverance, prophetic revelations, raising the dead, etc — and they’ll even do the “greater things” I’ve been talking about, like bringing resurrection life to people who are dead in sin, so that they pass from judgment to life.
My works have repaired people temporarily, and that ministry will and must continue amongst my followers, as signposts to my glory and my love for them. But when the Holy Spirit comes, those who follow me will repair people both temporarily and eternally, by transferring them from death to life through faith in me. That’s even greater.”
Succinctly, the “greater works” refer to bringing immense multitudes of people to God, having received eternal life by the ministry of the gospel. It is the greatest miracle of divine grace to convert the obstinate and the wicked hearted from sin to godliness.
The Believers’ Inherent Ability for Greater Works!
Jesus attributed the ability of His followers to do “greater works” to the fact that He was going “to the Father”. There, He would be our Intercessor, and from there He would send the Promise of the Father — the Holy Spirit — unto us after His ascension to the Father's right hand (John 14:16,26; 15:26; 16:7).
The works are “greater” because they are performed in the age of fulfilment, the age of the New Covenant, in the aftermath of the final accomplishment of redemption and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
This is the age of the Holy Spirit! He has come upon all believers now, so that the works of Jesus can be done throughout the world, in far greater dimensions than they were when it was only Jesus and His twelve disciples.
Keep in mind that Jesus gave the promise to “He that believeth” on Him. This is a great prophetic statement that should motivate radical obedience in the hearts of all believers in Christ today, and it’s very crucial that we grasp it!
Beloved friends and brethren, you don’t have to be an apostle, a pastor, an evangelist or an elder to do these “greater works” today (1 Corinthians 12:29-31) You don’t have to be well known or have plenty of money, neither is there any age or gender barrier. You only have to be a genuine believer in Christ Jesus, working in the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.
On the contrary, if you don’t believe the powerful promise in John 14:12, or you doubt the reality of the miraculous; if you deny the operations of the Holy Spirit, or you lack faith, confidence and great expectations as to what God can do through you today, it is very unlikely that you would be a Jesus’ workman for the “greater works”.
We can do “greater works” only as we live in union with our Master Jesus, obeying His commandments and depending utterly upon the Holy Spirit (John 14:15-20). We must keep communion with Him through passionate prayer and fasting for the power of the Holy Spirit.
The days of “greater works”, and a people who are greater than John the Baptist are still here with us (Luke 7:28)! Hence, those who erroneously think that miracles ceased when the apostles died are simply looking in the wrong direction.
We all must be involved in the eternal miracles of saving souls, today (John 9:4). Hoping to see you soon at the platform of Kingdom relevance. May you never miss out, in Jesus name. Amen. Happy Sunday!
** Bishop Taiwo Akinola,
Rhema Christian Church,
Otta, Ogun State, Nigeria.
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