John 14:12
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 (NLT)
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; (KJV)
Brothers and Sisters, can we have some serious discussion on this verse? Because this verse really beats me.
First of all this verse says "Verily, verily" that means what He is saying is truth.
Next Jesus Christ tells us that we who believe in Him " will do the same works I have done". Alright so let us see the kind of works He has done.
* Healing the sick. [Please note 3 points here : a) Healing all the sick who came to him b) Healing them of any kind of sickness and c) Healing them instantly!]
* Driving out demons [Note: a) instantly b) with just one word]
* Healing infirmities like blind seeing, lame walking, dumb speaking, deaf hearing all this instantly
* Raising people from death
* Command over nature like calming storm, walking on water and drying of tree (again instantly)
Now here are my questions and I really want someone to help me with the answers.
Q1. Jesus Christ says "and greater works than these shall he do". I don't get this! What could be greater than what He has done??
Q2. Forget the "doing greater things" part. I have not known anyone who can do what Jesus Christ has done (they way He did it)!! Why are we unable to do what He did??
Q3. Since I firmly believe that Jesus Christ has told us the truth, and since it is also a fact that today noone is able to do what He did, I can only come to the conclusion that we have gone drastically wrong somewhere. Does anybody has any idea where we have gone wrong? Or is this question itself wrong?
Help!!!
Joh 14:12 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.
Joh 21:25 And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.
Who can out do Jesus, with miracles aplenty, and love galore, without wavering, and without faltering, for you cannot, unlike us who can say I do not feel like going to Church, as we bust out the Nintendo for some serious video game action, and say I do not want to reach out to those people, when they need it.
But we can do the same works as Jesus by the Spirit, but how can we do greater works than Him.
It cannot be concerning the works that He actually did, as their purpose, for it can be no greater than that, for He did all the works that can be done by the Spirit, nothing lacking, and love is the fulfilling of the law, which He is perfect love, always led of the Spirit, and dealing with people.
It cannot be greater than the actual works He done in purpose.
Jesus was only sent to the lost sheep of Israel, and that is it, and basically walked everywhere He went, so He was limited on how far His ministry could reach.
Jesus could only reach out to so many people in a small area, which would mean not that many people, although it was still a lot.
Mat 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
The disciples, as well as all people, are instructed to go out and teach all nations.
Would someone say that Paul reached out to a larger number of people than Jesus did, since Paul was sent to the Gentiles, and could travel to more than only one tiny country, for he was not sent to only one tiny country.
Would someone say that the disciples, as well as the saints, reached out to a larger number of people, since they could branch out more in Israel, and even affect Gentiles.
We cannot do greater works than Jesus compared to the intensity, and importance of the work itself, but we can reach out to a larger number of people, for we are not limited to a small area like Jesus, who was only sent to the lost sheep of Israel, only had three and one half years to work, and could only affect a small amount of people, although it is big in number, but not as big as a person that is not limited in how far they can travel, and have more time in the ministry.
Not only on an individual level concerning some people that have reached out to a larger number than Jesus, but also collectively the saints can reach out to the whole world, where Jesus was only sent to the lost sheep of Israel.
It started with Jesus, for He was the only one, even with the disciples, for He was the only one that was led of the Spirit at the time of His ministry.
And when Jesus ascended, then went to the saints when they received the Spirit, and they could reach a greater number of people than Jesus did.
I tend to believe that Jesus is speaking that the saints collectively will do greater works than Him, for they will impact the world, and all their works together would be far greater than what Jesus did while on earth, but some could on an individual level like Paul who was sent to the Gentiles, bigger area, more ground to cover, not limited by only a tiny nation such as Israel, and not having only three and one half years to preach.
We cannot do greater works than Jesus compared to the intensity, and the importance of the work itself, but we can reach out to more people than He did when He was on earth during His ministry.
Joh 21:25 And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.
Which is why I tend to believe that Jesus meant that we will reach out to more people, possibly as an individual, and definitely as the Church, or works other than miracles.
For I tend to doubt that anybody as an individual could do more than Jesus did in the amount of work He did concerning miracles, even though it was only three and one half years.
But those works Jesus said would be greater also include preaching the Gospel, feeding the poor and needy, and showing love towards people, and whatever pertains to the kingdom of God, which is easily believable that an individual may do greater works than Jesus in those areas, seeing they can cover more ground, and are not limited to only three and one half years, at least a lot of them.
But straight up miracles of healing, and causing a fig tree to wither, those types of miracles, and causing people to come back to life, I doubt that anybody could do greater works than Jesus in that area, not an individual, no way, no how, but the Church all through the years, especially the early Church with all the miracles they did could do it.
But not an individual, for I do not believe that, for sure the disciples did miracles of healing, but did any of them cause a fig tree to wither, cause a coin to appear in a fishes mouth, put mud in someone's eye sockets, and they became eyes, walked on water, calmed the roaring sea, caused a great fish catch for the disciples, turns water in to wine, fed thousands of people with a couple of fish, and a few loaves of bread, cast demons in to a herd of swine, a woman is healed simply by touching his garment, and that as a standard routine.
For we do not hear of all this vastness of miracles being done by the disciples, other than a lot of healing, and a few casting out demons, and a few raising the dead, but Jesus did those miracles in abundance, and did extreme miracles other than them.
But then again Jesus had to prove He was the Savior of the world, the Christ, by doing what no man ever did, and that in extreme miracles, which He told the disciples that if they did not believe Him for the words He speaks, believe Him for the works He does that they testify that He is of God, and of God He would not lie about being the Christ, for like Nicodemus said, no man can do these works unless God is with him.
So in miracles, those type of works other than healing, no person is going to do greater works than Jesus, for we are not out to prove we are the Christ, like He had to do by works that no person ever did, and Elijah healed, so Jesus had to do great works other than healing.
The greater works that we will do include miracles like healing, and casting out demons, raising the dead, miracles that have to do with the welfare of a person, and their health, physically, and spiritually, and to preach the Gospel, feed the poor and hungry(with money not multiplying fish, and bread), and to love people, and help them with whatever they need help.
But Jesus did extreme miracles that is not common place for the saints, and not told they would do other than the miracles that have to do with the welfare of a person.
So rest easy for your Savior could do greater works than us, and He is still the greatest, and we would not want to think of Him any differently, but we will do greater works in other areas that pertain to the welfare of people, for that is what the kingdom of God is about, possibly as an individual, and definitely as the Church, for the Church has fed more people, reached out to more people, preached the Gospel to more people, and healed more people in the early Church than Jesus, for the Church is not limited in time spent to minister, and they are a larger group, and not limited to a certain area, but the world.
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