William Carey’s motto on a hanging in St. James Church, Paulerspury, Northamptonshire, where Carey attended as a boy
START WITH SCRIPTURE:
John 14:8-17
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OBSERVE:
This passage is part of a larger dialogue between Jesus and his disciples that reveals profound truths about the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Jesus makes definitive statements about himself in John 14, and his disciples have grown bold enough to ask him follow-up questions. Jesus has said just prior to our passage:
I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him(John 14:6-7).
But Philip asks for more to be revealed:
“Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.”
The answer Jesus gives is a clear statement about his intimate relationship with the Father:
Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
This reminds us of the Prologue to John, when we are told that Jesus, as the Word made flesh, is one with God:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1).
Jesus asks his own question in this interrogative dialogue:
Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works.
We are reminded again of Charles Williams’ doctrine of co-inherence — that the Father and the Son are interwoven with one another in unity, and are yet distinct persons.
But if the disciples can’t believe based on Jesus’ witness that he is one with the Father, then they need only look at his works:
Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves.
The disciples have been hanging out with Jesus for almost three years, by some accounts. They have seen him heal, cast out demons, feed the multitudes, raise the dead. What more do they need to confirm his identity?
And then Jesus makes an astounding statement:
Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.
Even considering that this conversation in the narrative in John’s Gospel takes place prior to the death and resurrection of Jesus, this is a high bar to set.
And Jesus explains how the disciples are to accomplish these greater works. He explains that he will be doing whatever they ask, if they ask according to his name:
I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.
The power of a name rests in the authority of the person who is named. If Jesus is one with the Father, he has absolute authority, and his name invokes power. So when they ask in his name, they are asking according to his nature, and Jesus is the one who is accomplishing what they ask.
Jesus reminds his disciples of the moral imperative of love:
If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
Above all else, Jesus is offering comfort and encouragement to his disciples. He began this discourse by saying:
Do not let your hearts be troubled (John 14:1).
So he offers another word of encouragement — though he will be absent from them in the body, God will be with the disciples through the Spirit:
I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.
Just as Jesus himself will be interceding on behalf of the disciples as an Advocate, so the Spirit will be another Advocate who will abide with them forever and dwell within them!
Among his many roles, the Holy Spirit will continue to guide the disciples into the truth:
But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you (John 14:26).
APPLY:
How can we know anyone? One quick answer is these two things — by their words and by their works. Another answer is to say, “come hang out with me, and you’ll find out who I am.”
Jesus tells Philip that he has fulfilled all three of these criteria. The disciples have spent time with Jesus; they have heard his teachings and his claims; and they have seen those claims backed up by his deeds.
All together, those criteria lead to an inescapable conclusion — Jesus is one with the Father.
So, when Jesus promises to fulfill our requests in his name, and when he promises to send his Holy Spirit to dwell in us, he either has the authority and power to do so, or he doesn’t.
So, have his words come to pass, that his followers have done greater works than he has done?
Within 300 years of the Ascension of Jesus, the Gospel had been preached throughout the Roman Empire and in territories beyond, and had been sanctioned by the Emperor Constantine. Christianity had become the official world view of the Roman Empire, despite the fact that prior to this time the Roman Empire had been relentlessly hostile to the church.
Now, it is true that there have been many abuses committed in the name of Christ, but I would argue that these are a distortion and corruption of the Gospel.
So what positive difference has the Christian Gospel made in two thousand years?
According to the research of Dr. James Kennedy and Jerry Newcombe in What if Jesus Had Never Been Born?, Jesus, his Gospel, and his church have made:
“more changes on earth for the good than any other movement or force in history.”
Here is a partial list of their claims:
- Hospitals as institutions, which began during the Middle Ages.
- Universities as institutions, which began during the Middle Ages.
- Literacy and education for the masses.
- Representative government.
- Civil liberties.
- The abolition of slavery, both in antiquity and in modern times.
- Modern science.
- The elevation of women.
- Benevolence and charity; the Good Samaritan ethic.
- Higher standards of justice.
- High regard for human life.
- The codifying and setting to writing of many of the world’s languages.
- The inspiration for some of the great works of art and music.
- Countless changed lives transformed from liabilities into assets to society because of the Gospel.
- The eternal salvation of countless souls.
I’m sure that there are many who would be willing to debate some of these claims. But even they would have to agree that these claims must be seriously considered.
In my opinion, these and countless other contributions by Christians and the church are evidence of the greater works that Jesus makes possible through his intercession even now at the right hand of the Father, and through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.
RESPOND:
I have to ask myself the hard question — am I a better person for having come to faith in Jesus Christ? Have I done some of the greater things that he speaks of?
Well, there are objective and subjective answers to that.
Objectively, I know that turning to Christ when I was 19 caused me to turn away from drugs and hedonism, and turned me toward a more disciplined life. I saw the value of studying harder because I was doing so to the glory of God, and I graduated with honors.
I have seen the benefits of the moral life of following Christ in my faithfulness to my wife and family despite living in a narcissistic, “me first” culture.
I have been able to serve God in ministry for over 35 years — and even when my income was below the poverty level, have never been truly anxious about my finances. And God has blessed me with more than I need at this stage of my life, so I am able to share.
And though I am inclined toward introversion and solitude, the church has provided a place of fellowship and rich friendships over the years. That has been an important balance to my natural tendencies.
Subjectively, I know what it is to know that my sins are forgiven. I know what it is to have a constant companion, who understands me better than I understand myself, and who loves me despite the less than savory aspects of my inclinations. And he is not content that I remain as I am, but challenges me to be more than I am.
I know that when God came into my life, life became meaningful and I was given a purpose.
I also know very little fear when it comes to facing the future. Death holds no terror for me, because I know that my Redeemer lives.
So, while I am not great by cultural or even ecclesiastical standards, I can truly say that my life has been greater by far than it would have been without Christ.
Lord, when we pray in your name, according to your authority, you promise to hear us. Thank you that you discern what we need, and that is what you give. And thank you that you choose to work through us despite our frailties and failures. Amen.
PHOTOS: "Attempt Great Things for God - Expect Great Things from God" by Terese Bird is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0) license.
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