Greater and More Prolific Works through a New Arrangement
David W Palmer
(John 14:12 NKJV) “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.”
Jesus did only what he saw with his Father, and said only what he heard with him (John 5:19–20; 8:26). Jesus confirmed this during the Last Supper:
(John 14:10 NKJV) “… The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.”
In saying this, our Lord revealed that the works he did in his Father’s name were associated with the words he heard from his Father in the spirit and then spoke out into this natural realm. Hearing and speaking what God was saying resulted in great miracles and supernatural interventions. This reflects the Biblical pattern; the first use of spoken words in the Bible was for creation, not communication:
(Genesis 1:1–3 NKJV) In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. {2} The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. {3} Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.
In John 14 (above), Jesus said: “He who believes in me, the works that I do he will do also.”
How could Jesus—the spotless Son of God, who performed miraculous works through his righteous standing with his Father—say this about us who are ex-sinners? He gave us the answer: “Because I go to my Father.” Jesus’s relocation to the Father’s right hand not only meant that the Holy Spirit would come to fill, empower, and guide every believer who is open to him; but it also meant that Jesus could move onto his new ministries:
With the infinitely powerful, omnipresent, and all-knowing Holy Spirit in us and with us; and with our Lord Jesus directing us, coaching us, interceding for us, and guaranteeing the New Covenant, no wonder he said:
(John 14:12 NKJV) “… the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.”
Through Jesus’s achievements and his ongoing ministry, we have access to all he used when he was here. We have:
In truth, Jesus has done everything necessary to free us from restrictions, and to enable us to operate as he did. What’s more, because his body now has multiplied mouths, hands, and feet; through us, the number of miracles and works can be “greater” as he said.
By the time our wonderful Forerunner and Lord Jesus had risen from the dead, ascended to the Father, and sent the Holy Spirit to be with us and in us, he had fully achieved the objective he had in mind when he called his apprentices. His goal was the multiplication and longevity of his mission. The Master had truly made them competent at fishing for men; he had successfully multiplied himself and his ministry in and through his apostles. Now, because of the success of his bride—the church—he has increased and multiplied his character, assignment, and works worldwide.
