23. How Many Times (continued)
"… whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these …" (John 14:12). The words of Jesus are clear, yet we may wonder how this can be. Jesus performed miraculous deeds seen by many, healed the lame and the blind, raised Lazarus from the dead – can we do greater things than these?
A key in understanding this verse in the Gospel of John is to realize the difference between the "signs," "wonders," and "miracles" as opposed to the "works" performed by Jesus. There is certainly some overlap in the use of these terms, but generally speaking, there is a difference. The Greek words translated "signs," "wonders," and "miracles" are all frequently used of the miraculous deeds Jesus performed as signs of his Messiahship. Jesus spoke of his followers doing such things, though usually in the context of faith – that if we have enough faith we, too, would be able to accomplish great things with God's help.
But beyond these miraculous deeds, Jesus also performed many other works of teaching, guiding, and helping his disciples and the crowds that followed him. The word "works" (Greek erga) used in John 14:12 can include miraculous deeds, but it is more general and signifies other nonwondrous works as well. In fact, this word can include ongoing duties, works, and business, rather than just individual acts; and the word certainly covers Christ's ongoing teaching, helping, and guidance.
So when we look at the broader and often more ongoing sense covered by "works," we can see that Christ's statement that his followers would do "greater things" than he had done most likely refers not to miracles, but to his work of preaching the gospel, teaching, helping, guiding, etc. Such deeds were not entirely dependent on faith to accomplish them, and faith is not mentioned in John 14:12, which speaks of believing in Jesus but does not specify having enough faith to accomplish such works. These general works of his followers, Jesus affirmed, would be "greater" than those he had done, and this can mean greater in extent rather than greater in type.
Jesus certainly taught large crowds, sometimes of thousands of people. But we have only to look at the eventual effects of the printing press and, in our own age, radio, television, and the internet, when used to spread the word of God and to explain its teachings to millions of people, to see that the extent of these works has indeed been greater than any individual could have accomplished in the time of Christ.
We should always remember that "no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him" (John 13:16). The greater works that are done by Jesus' followers are still done by him through us – but the potential for a greater extent of works of helping and teaching in our own age is a very real one.
When we look at the area of Christian service, could there be anything more encouraging than the opportunity every one of us has to have a part in fulfilling the potential of "greater works" for the kingdom of God in our own age? Whether through service or support, prayer or preaching, evangelism or encouragement, "greater works" are possible and waiting to be done.
AFTERWORD: THE COURAGE IN ENCOURAGEMENT
"… Jesus immediately said to them: 'Take courage! …'" (Matthew 14:27).
The word "encourage" means to "put courage in," and the Bible contains many stories of personal courage that are, indeed, encouraging. Some, such as the account of the young David fighting the giant Goliath, come quickly to mind. But there are dozens more examples throughout the pages of Scripture where individuals stepped forward and fought against huge odds or difficult situations – often alone and without the support of others. There are lessons about encouragement that we should not miss in these stories. Here are three that we can take to heart:
Courage Is Commanded "Take courage" is not just a biblical suggestion; it is a biblical command. We may be well aware of the many inspiring Old Testament verses such as "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified … for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you" (Deuteronomy 31:6) and the multiple times God commanded his leaders such as Joshua to be courageous (Joshua 1:6, 7, 9, etc.), but we don't always notice examples in the New Testament that apply directly to us.
If we look carefully, we find Jesus not only commanded courage of his disciples when they feared: "… Jesus immediately said to them: 'Take courage!'" (Matthew 14:27; Mark 6:50), but we also find him reminding his servants to have courage relative to the work he gave them to do: "The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, 'Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome'" (Acts 23:11).
The apostle Paul clearly obeyed that command (Philippians 1:19-27, etc.) and passed the instruction along to the Christians he taught: "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong" (1 Corinthians 16:13). There is no question that courage is commanded of the followers of Christ as much as it was of God's servants in Old Testament times.
Courage Is Contagious It helps us to understand the importance of courage when we realize that there is not a single instance among the dozens of accounts of physical and spiritual bravery found in the Bible where one person's courage did not have an emboldening effect on others.
Again, we may be more familiar with Old Testament examples such as Saul's son Jonathan demonstrating courage that inspired his armor bearer to join him in fighting against heavy odds (1 Samuel 14:1-14). Numerous examples in the Hebrew Scriptures show people being inspired by a courageous action, even if only after someone else was successful. Such was the case with the disheartened Israelites after David slew Goliath (1 Samuel 17:50-52). But there are also fascinating examples of the contagious nature of courage in the New Testament. Take the case of Joseph of Arimathea who bravely asked Pilate for the body of Jesus in order to give him a proper burial. The Gospel of Mark tells us that "Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus" (Mark 15:43 ESV). This was no small act of bravery, as Jesus had just been executed as a rebel instigating sedition against the Roman Empire – and Joseph was no natural hero. John's Gospel tells us: "… Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate's permission, he came and took the body away" (John 19:38).
But Joseph's act of courage had immediate ripple effects. John's Gospel also tells us that "He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds [to embalm the body of Jesus]" (John 19:39). When Joseph "took courage," he inspired Nicodemus – who had been too afraid of the Jews to talk with Jesus except under the cover of darkness – to likewise act with courage.
Courage is not just for heroes. Biblical examples like these show courage always has an effect – even when others are afraid to act until they see the success of someone who does demonstrate courageous behavior.
Courage Is Confirming Not only is courage contagious when it is demonstrated, but acting courageously – even if we do not feel courageous – confirms our faith to God, to others and even to ourselves. God commands us to live courageously so he is obviously well pleased when we do so.
Acts of courage can have an effect on others that we may not even guess at the time. The book of Acts tells us that the Jewish authorities questioned the apostles Peter and John in a threatening manner regarding their teaching, but: "When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus" (Acts 4:13). It was the courage of the two apostles, not their learning or eloquence, that was a witness to the Jewish priests and religious leaders. It is doubtless not a coincidence that shortly after that we are told: "So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith" (Acts 6:7).
Acting with courage even helps to confirm our own dedication to God and his calling. We need faith to have courage and courage to express our faith. The apostle Paul showed this when he wrote: "I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death" (Philippians 1:20).
So the words of Christ and the disciples he taught show the unending need for courage in our personal lives and in doing the work we are given to do. Courage is especially needed to withstand evil and wrongdoing – to resist what is wrong in our own lives and in society, especially if we feel we are alone in carrying on the fight. But courage is contagious, and our actions invariably will inspire others. Finally, courageous living demonstrates our faith – courage is faith in action. Courage and our beliefs work hand in hand. We should never forget that the effect of courage on Christianity can be considerable, and the effect of Christianity on courage can be enormous. Take courage – be encouraged!
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