The ongoing works of Jesus

John 14:12

Jesus has spoken about the Father’s work (10) and the works (i.e. the miracles) that he has done (11) and he now goes on to say that those who believe in him will do “what I have been doing”. This translates the same Greek word ergon used for works in the previous verse. It’s an emphatic statement by Jesus that the Father’s work through him will continue to be done through his followers. In fact they will do “even greater things”.

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What are we to make of such an amazing statement? In Acts we see believers performing great miracles, similar to those Jesus had done though not greater in scale or in number. The key to understanding the “even greater things” is found in John 5:20 where Jesus uses the same phrase. But there it refers to the giving of eternal life (5:21-24). Once Jesus had returned to the Father and the Spirit had come, the number of people entering eternal life greatly increased.

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There will be times when believers will do miracles in Jesus’s name, but the greater work is not the miracle but the sharing of the good news of eternal life (Acts 4:10-12). Jesus doesn’t say that those with enough faith will do miracles, but that every believer will have a part in his ongoing work.