Greater Things

Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father" (John 14:12).

These words are both encouraging and puzzling. What did the Lord mean by "greater things"?

How could anyone ever surpass the deeds of Jesus? He walked on water, restored sight to the blind, raised Lazarus from the dead. The apostles performed similar miracles by the power of the Holy Spirit, but it's hard to say they accomplished greater wonders than Jesus himself performed.

Evidently the Lord meant his disciples would do things that are greater, not in quality, but in extent. David Lipscomb wrote, "During the life of Jesus on earth, his work was restricted to the limitations of his physical presence; but after he ascended to the Father and the Holy Spirit came in his name, a greater and more extended work would be done by the fuller inspiration of the apostles, and the more extended mission they would fill."

According to J. W. McGarvey, "By this the Lord does not mean that the disciples shall perform greater miracles, but that they shall produce moral and spiritual revolutions which are intrinsically more divinely wonderful than miracles. For instance . . . at Pentecost the apostles converted 3,000 in one day. The converts of Paul also greatly outnumbered those of Christ's own ministry."

Ray Stedman observed, "That which is done to the flesh is merely temporary. All those whom Jesus healed or raised from the dead died again. So what is done to the spirit of a person is far greater, and this is what Jesus means by 'greater works.'"

Notice Jesus' words: "He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father." Jesus physically left the earth and returned to the Father, granting his followers expanded opportunity to carry on his work. Through his faithful witnesses the message of redemption traveled "to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8) and millions of lost people have been saved over the centuries. The Lord's personal ministry was very great, but he saw fit to accomplish "greater things" through the people he trained and empowered to teach and serve.

Here's a humbling reality to ponder: The greatest work we accomplish in a lifetime may not be what we do ourselves, but what we equip others to do after we are gone.

It's good to lead someone to Christ; it's even greater when the new believer you discipled shares the good news with someone else. It's good to plant a new church; it's even better when a new congregation eventually plants another church as well. It's good to preach the gospel, but a preacher bears even more fruit when he prepares others to preach the Word after his own ministry ends. There's joy in serving others, but the joy multiplies when we equip someone else to serve.

Foreseeing his own impending death, Paul urged Timothy, "And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others" (2 Timothy 2:2). To labor for the Lord is always an honor, but passing the faith along so the work will continue in future generations—that's an even greater thing.