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.
And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”
- John 14:12-13 KJV
Jesus begins this discussion with his disciples from the first verse, carefully revealing the life and reality of the believer in Christ.
The believer is to understand the standing and present-day reality that Jesus has made possible through his blood and sacrifice.
If we back up just a few more verses to the opening verses of this chapter, we get to see a revelation that Jesus is trying to impress in the minds of the disciples, and by extension, the believer today.
He tries to explain the bond that he shares with his heavenly Father, and it is so potent that Jesus affirms that, “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father”.
What Jesus is saying is that, in those days, the people that had physically witnessed his humanity, and the nature he manifested had literally seen what God would do if he was to come down; Jesus and the Father are one!
Jesus is in the Father, and the Father in Jesus. Now we are going somewhere with this.
We then read a few verses into the conversation and find our Jesus making a bold proclamation that would be a basis of faith and stability for millennia by believers.
Jesus then says, “He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do.”
What a statement to have us think again!
The first step Jesus reveals here is that we must believe. Remember God says we cannot please him without faith [Hebrews 11:6]. Faith is to believe!
To believe is to be sure and convinced of the things that we have heard and seen, and much more even what we have not seen, for Jesus says those who believe without seeing first are really blessed. [John 20:29]
This statement in our focus text means that all the great, wonderful and admirable things that Jesus did while on earth; his miracles, his love, his power, his nature, and everything that concerned him is really obtainable.
But another mystery Jesus reveals here is that we will be able to walk in this dimension of power and authority because he went to the Father. Why was going to the Father so important? Because we would not have received the Spirit of God if Jesus had not returned to his Father first. [John 14:16-26]
So, ‘greater things’ are the believer’s inheritance, and all this is possible because of the sacrifice of Jesus, and the descent of the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit of God in the believer is the Spirit of power.
Romans 8:11 says,
“But if the Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.”
Also, the power of the Spirit is emphasized in Ephesians 3:20:
“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us…”
“According to the power that worketh in us…”, that’s the Holy Spirit there. He is the power of God working in us both to will and to do. He was the same power at work in Jesus while on his earthly ministry:
”How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.”
- Acts 10:38 KJV
You see, Jesus was anointed with the Holy Ghost and then the power. We have also been anointed with the Holy Ghost, which is a fulfilment of Jesus’ statement in John 14:12. All that remains is for us to step out in the faith of believing all that Jesus has said to us. There is not much remaining for us other than to believe and begin to do great and mighty works.
Jesus also says that whatever we ask for in his name, he will grant unto us. Of course, this means whatever is asked in the will of God. And what is the will of God?
God’s will is: That the sick be healed; that men hear the word of the gospel of his grace; that we love one another; that we prosper in everything we do, and that we serve him whole-heartedly. Whatever is not glorifying to God is not in his will. It is his will that we be blessed as well.
God is a loving Father who desires to see the best for his children on any given day. Jesus will do what we ask for in his name, why? Because this is the access to doing greater things than he has done. If he does not grant our requests, then we are unable to accomplish what he said, and he then becomes a liar. But thanks be to God that he is not a man that he should change his mind after he has said a thing, but he always makes it good.
The things that God would have us do in greater proportions are not only limited to the ‘powerful miracles’ he did in his days, but his love for the lost as well. He said, ‘The works that I do’. The works of righteousness and service to God.
Today, we have the mantle to serve God not by the authority of our flesh and our strength, but by the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit of God is our helper; he will help us do greater works than Jesus, only if we remain bound to him as Jesus was to him and to the Father.
If we replicate the methods employed by Jesus in his ministry, then we are sure to have a bountiful harvest of exceeding success that stems from the foundation that Jesus laid for us.