“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.” John 14:12 NRSV
Wow! Did you hear that? As a disciple of Jesus, you will do greater things that he did.
Here are a few things he did:
- He taught others.
- He proclaimed the good news of the Kingdom of God.
- He healed others from illness, disease, and even demons.
This short list comes from very early in his ministry according to Matthew.
Now, go back and read the John 14:12 text above. “Greater works than these,” Jesus said.
GREATER WORKS THAN THESE
I don’t want to get in a discussion in this article about whether we can heal or cast out demons. But if you read through the gospels you will see that Jesus was constantly doing something that helped other people.
Sometimes he was just setting people straight about the letter of the law and the spirit of the law. At other times he was talking with people no one else would talk to because of their “sinfulness.” Then there were times that he set with children just because they wanted to be close to him even though the adults tried to run them off.
The point is that Jesus was about doing good. He demonstrated what it meant to be salt and light for the world.
And Jesus taught that we would do greater works than he did.
In a world of darkness there is always a need for light.
Do Good
As a disciple of Jesus, we are to be about doing good in the world. Preach, teach, heal, makes no difference how you do good, just that you do.
Want to be a faithful disciple of Jesus? Do good for someone. Make sure you are not living your life just for yourself.
Yes, we are all busy, but make some time in your schedule to do good for others. Perhaps you can start with once a month if you haven’t been doing something already. Set aside the first Saturday of each month and do something for someone. Write a letter. Cut someone’s grass.
Got more time. Try doing something once a week. Take an hour or two and do something nice for others. If you are in a place where you can gather in small groups, teach some kids about Jesus.
Right now is not the time to visit people in the hospital, but calling someone that’s not doing well might make their day. Believe it or not, even before COVID-19, loneliness was one of the biggest struggles in our society. Call an elderly person on the phone.
A better idea is simply to take each day and do all the good you possibly can in the day that you have been given.
Do Something
While Jesus did give us a specific list of the works he was talking about in John 14, we can say this:
If you are not doing anything good, you will never do any works greater than he.
Do something.
