Only You can change my heart, O Lord! He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. Jesus Christ says in John 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." The Spirit is releasing to us the life of Jesus, so that it is still Jesus who is doing these things. He made them this promise to animate them in their work, and that they might not despond in his absence, when they received such tokens of his remembering them, and such … In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. Use this table to get a word-for-word translation of the original Greek Scripture. KING JAMES VERSION (KJV) TRANSLATION, MEANING, CONTEXT. III. Jesus did not say that Christians would do greater miracles but greater WORKS and He told us: this is the work of God is that you believe in Him Whom He has sent - and for all who have believed in Him God has prepared many works for us to carry out in His strength. The reference is to the words, He that believeth on Me, John 14:12. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do, And I will execute great vengeance upon them, love the Lord your God with all your heart, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Properly, firm, i.e., (figuratively) trustworthy; adverbially, surely (often as interjection, so be it), Properly, to "lay" forth, i.e., (figuratively) relate (in words (usually of systematic or set discourse; whereas, To have faith (in, upon, or with respect to, a person or thing), i.e., credit; by implication, to entrust (especially one's spiritual well-being to Christ), The (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom), To or into (indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or (figuratively) purpose (result, etc. This scripture has been greatly misunderstood by many. It is because He goes to the Father. So far is this from being the case that these shall not only continue but become … Jesus performed many amazing and wonderful works—raising the dead, walking on water, and feeding thousands come to mind—how can it be true … The work that was carried out by both the apostles then.. and the Church today, was to be founded on the spiritual work we are called to carry out - work that is to be accomplished in the lives of lost sinners who are dead in their trespasses and sins, estranged from God and facing eternal separation from Him - so that they might hear the good news of the gospel of grace, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, become a new creation in Him - and receive forgiveness of sins and life everlasting. In verse 12 itself the promise cannot be limited to the apostles, for Jesus says that anyone who believes will do greater works. As you read the account of Jesus' ministry, notice that the crowds followed Him when He did those amazing wonders, and entire cities would turn out to hear His message, yet when you come to the end of His life, where are all the crowds? John 14:1-14 . Truly, truly, I say to you, He that believes on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go to my Father. See John 14:12 with its adjacent verses in bold below. Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. All rights reserved. California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. John 14:12. In chapter 13, Jesus gathered the disciples together in the Upper Room for the Passover meal. ); also in adverbial phrases, Toil (as an effort or occupation); by implication, an act, The relatively (sometimes demonstrative) pronoun, who, which, what, that, To make or do (in a very wide application, more or less direct), And, also, even, so then, too, etc. But what He is really saying here is that as the risen Lord, who dwells in us by means of the Spirit, He will do greater things through us than He did when He was here in the days of His flesh. Isn't it interesting that the ones whom Jesus healed would not stand with Him through the test of the cross, but that when these disciples went out and preached in the power of the Spirit, they won converts by the thousands? The most probable meaning of the passage is the following: The word "greater" cannot refer to the miracles themselves, for the works of the apostles did not exceed those of Jesus in power. In the world-wide extent of Christianity there is a work greater even than any which He Himself did in the flesh. In every child of man brought to see the Father, and know the Fatherâs love as revealed in Jesus Christ, has been a work such as He did. By his being exalted there the Holy Spirit was given John 16:7, and by his power thus put forth the Gentiles were brought to hear and obey the gospel. I go to prepare a place for you. Only under the dispensation of the Spirit could it be universal. Article Images Copyright © 2020 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. Daily Devotion © 2006 by Ray Stedman Ministries. the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. the works that I do shall he do also; he shall raise the dead, heal all manner of diseases, and cast out devils; things which Christ gave his apostles power to do, when he first gave them a commission to preach the Gospel, and when he renewed and enlarged it: and which they did perform, not in their own name, and by their own power, but in the name, and by the power of Christ: and greater works than these shall he do; meaning, not greater in nature and kind, but more in number; for the apostles, in a long series of time, and course of years, went about preaching the Gospel, not in Judea only, but in all the world; "God also bearing them witness with signs and wonders, and divers miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost", ( Hebrews 2:4 ) , wherever they went: though perhaps by these greater works may be meant the many instances of conversion, which the apostles were instrumental in, and which were more in number than those which were under our Lord's personal ministry: besides, the conversion of a sinner is a greater work than any of the miracles of raising the dead for this includes in it all miracles: here we may see a sinner, dead in trespasses and sins, quickened; one born blind made to see; one who was deaf to the threatenings of the law, and to the charming voice of the Gospel, made to hear, so as to live; and one that had the spreading leprosy of sin all over him, cleansed from it by the blood of the Lamb yea, though a miracle in nature is an instance and proof of divine power, yet the conversion of a sinner, which is a miracle in grace, is not only an instance of the power of God, and of the greatness of it, but of the exceeding greatness of it: and the rather one may be induced to give in to this sense of the passage, since it is added, as a reason. [⇑ See verse text ⇑] The word "works" in Greek most literally means "actions," or "deeds." It is Jesus Christ who empowers us to minister, preach, pray, etc... 4. because I go unto my Father. Without Jesus Christ, a Christian preacher would be unable to do anything for the Kingdom of God. The Day of Pentecost witnessed the first fulfilment of this prophecy; but it has been fulfilled also in every great moral and spiritual victory. Use this reference information to gain deeper insight into the Bible and enrich your understanding. Anything done to the spirit of a person is permanent; that which is done to the flesh is merely temporary. That was a big deal back then! How are we an influence in the spiritual realm here on earth? https://bible.org/seriespage/lesson-76-doing-greater-works-jesus-john-1412-14 So in John 14:12 Jesus is saying that his disciples will not only continue his works, but will do greater ones because he goes to the Father. I go to prepare a place for you. The works of the apostles were witnessed by many nations, and the effect of their miracles and preaching was that thousands from among the Jews and Gentiles were converted to the Christian faith. To get what John 14:12 means based on its source text, scroll down or follow these links for the original scriptural meaning , biblical context and relative popularity. The gift of the Spirit … During the last supper, Jesus made dire predictions. Please enter your email address associated with your Salem All-Pass account, then click Continue. By his going to the Father is particularly denoted his exaltation to heaven, and his being placed as head over all things to his church, Ephesians 1:20-23; Philippians 2:9-11. He is referring here to the coming of the Spirit. the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Notes on John 5:20, and on Matthew 21:21-22. The Lord Jesus raised a handful of people from physical death during His time on earth to authenticate His God-ordained, Messianic claims, but when Peter preached his first sermon.. 3000 souls were saved - 3000 spiritual resurrections were secured - 3000 people gained access to the Father's throne of grace, for mercy to find help in time of need.