Greater Works

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father” (John 14:12, ESV).

What did Jesus mean when he said that we will do greater works? The answer is found in his words, “because I am going to the Father.” After his death and resurrection, Jesus ascended to the Father, completing the work of redemption. Then he fulfilled his promise to his followers: “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever” (John 14:16).

By going to the Father, Jesus made salvation available to all who called on his name. Through his resurrection, he gives new life and sends the Holy Spirit to dwell within his followers. Everything he accomplished through his death, resurrection, and ascension made it possible for us to be united with God.

This explains the “greater works” Christ said we would do. In our flesh, we tend to think of greater works on the same scale as Jesus’s awesome miracles: feeding the crowd with a few leftovers, walking on water, and performing amazing demonstrations of God’s healing power. But Jesus showed us what that “greater work” means, bringing the light of his gospel—the saving, delivering, life-transforming gospel—to the world.

Friend, the greater works Jesus promised are fulfilled as we carry his message of salvation to a world in desperate need of hope and redemption.