John 14:12

“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.”

When was the last time you fed 5,000 people starting with a small loaf of bread and a few fish? Or how about that time you rubbed mud on a blind man’s eyes and his vision was restored? Do you remember walking out onto the lake to visit your scared friends who were caught up in a bad storm in their small fishing boat? Or perhaps you are thinking of that time when you showed up four days late to your friend’s funeral and simply commanded him to come out of his buried casket…and he did! Those amazing things and so much more…that has been your testimony since becoming a Christian, right?

Probably not.

So, what’s the deal with today’s verse? What in the world was Jesus talking about? How could he say that us average Christians would do even greater works than he did? First of all, it’s important to remember that we are dealing with the English language in our bible’s rather than the original languages it was written in…and sometimes, subtle differences in translation require some additional work. This verse is a great example. By “greater”, Jesus did not mean more sensational, but greater in magnitude, or greater in reach.

For example, Peter led more people to faith with one sermon than Jesus was ever recorded to have done. However, was Peter preaching on his own? No! It was Peter preaching through the power of the Holy Spirit…Jesus inside him rather than Jesus beside him…and that allowed him to reach even more people than Jesus had. Jesus’ earthly ministry was geographically tiny relative to Paul’s, so in effect, Paul did “greater works” than Jesus had done in that regard. Or take Billy Graham as another example. He preached to live audiences of 210 million people in more than 185 countries and territories. Did Jesus do that? Nope. Well…a more accurate answer would be “kinda.” Billy’s almost unbelievable reach was empowered by the Holy Spirit…Jesus inside him rather than beside him…and that allowed him to do “greater things” than his Lord and Savior had done.

But what about you?

You may qualify as surpassing Jesus in a number of ways. He was quite poor and didn’t make much of a financial impact…but odds are good that you have made a greater one through your giving and ministry support. Jesus was limited in his geographic reach, but perhaps you have shared the gospel or provided ministry on the other side of the globe…or the other side of the nation. Jesus’ earthly ministry only lasted three years, but odds are good that yours has gone well beyond that. Jesus didn’t have a Facebook page or Twitter account, but you probably do…and you can reach more people in a week than he did in three years.

Beyond what you have done, you also need to think of what you could do. Jesus inside of you unlocks far more Kingdom potential than if Jesus were walking beside you. The power that raised Him from the dead resides in your right now (Phil. 3:10) and that puts greater works than he did within your grasp…but you have to reach for them. You have to step out in faith and obedience, but you don’t have to be another Billy Graham or Peter of Paul. You have to be who God created you and called you to be—a faithful Ambassador of Jesus Christ who spends his or her days loving the Lord God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength…and loving their neighbor as themselves.