Can believers do greater works than Jesus did?

John 14:12-14 Greek Interlinear
Believe me that I [am] in the Father and the Father in me if but not because of the works themselves believe.

Truly truly I say to you The [one] believing on me the works that I do also he will do and greater than these he will do because I to the Father am going.

And whatever anyhow you might ask in the name of me this will I do that might be glorified the Father in the in the Son.

If anything you ask me in the name of me I will do [it].

Are you trying to talk yourself out of it? ;)

2041 ἔργον ergon er’-gon
from a primary (but obsolete) ergo (to work); n n; TDNT-2:635,251; {See TDNT 254”‰}
AV-work 152, deed 22, doing 1, labour 1; 176
1) business, employment, that which any one is occupied
1a) that which one undertakes to do, enterprise, undertaking
2) any product whatever, any thing accomplished by hand, art, industry, or mind
3) an act, deed, thing done: the idea of working is emphasised in opp. to that which is less than work

3187 μείζων meizon mide’-zone
irregular comparative of 3173; adj comparative;
AV-greater 34, greatest 9, elder 1, more 1; 45
1) greater, larger, elder, stronger

God bless,
Lisa

I agree with Lisa.

You have to take the statement of Jesus at face value and deal with it. The way not to deal with it is to change what He said.

In addition, to the extent that we are NOT doing greater works than Jesus, the fault is ours, not His.

Jesus was at one place at one time. He raised the dead, healed the sick, cast out demons, comforted the hurting, operate in the 9 gifts of the Spirit etc.. But He could only do that where He was presently located. And, there was one of Him.

The context, and I think main point, behind these verses is not the "things" that Jesus did. What other things are there. We are to raise the dead, heal the sick, cast out demons, comfort the hurting, operate in the 9 gifts of the Spirit etc.. The crux of the matter in these scriptures is the infilling of the Holy Spirit. Now we have millions of people around the globe who have been indued with the same power that raised Christ from the dead, the power of the Holy Spirit. So we can now do all of these things, empowered and led by the Holy Spirit, just like Christ did them.

So we, the church and members in particular, are now doing much greater things. When Jesus was on earth, He was the only one on earth that would qualify as being "filled with the Spirit" with the exception of John the Baptist. Yet now we can all be filled with the Spirit and walk in the same anointing that Jesus walked in. He was anointed of the Holy Spirit, now we are anointed of the Holy Spirit. Jesus made this very clear throughout His recorded teachings in the book of John.

Of course, as a believer who was initially exposed to Charismatic/ Pentecostal teachers, this is a passage of scripture we heard a lot and as Spirit filled children of God who desired to do exploits in Jesus Name, very appealing to our idea of greatness...

So...
1. What are these greater works?
2. How do we work them?

Asked sincerely.

Blessings,

William: I have also seen believers who hoped to do exploits in the name of Jesus, but their real heart's motive was to bring attention to themselves and make themselves appear great or super-spiritual. But a man with a wrong motive, in my opinion, does not negate the real power of the Holy Spirit.

1. The greater works are nothing different than the works that Jesus did. How can we do greater than the things that Jesus did? But the greater works are found in the fact that the church, as a body of believers under the headship of Christ, can do much more than Jesus ever did. He was bound to one place at one time while on earth. The Holy Spirit in the life of the believer is no bound to one place or to one time.

2. How? There is only one way. Jesus was called "Christ" because He was anointed by the Holy Spirit of God. Remember his first teaching in the synagogue. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because He hath anointed me to....
When He ascended, He sent the Holy Spirit. In the book of John, Jesus teaches us that the Holy Spirit was going to be sent to anoint us in the same way Jesus was anointed. Jesus told us He did nothing of His own power, but rather by the power of the Holy Spirit. In like manner, we can do absolutely nothing of our own power. We can only do what the Lord tells us to do and only in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Our motive is much more important than anything we do. Pride and self-exaltation is not determined by the subject matter of our belief. Charismatics or conservatives, Full Gospel / Pentecostal or cessationalists, the heart of man is the same. Some will hope to be the biggest fish in whatever pond they find themselves. I have seen men who became exalted in pride because they had a deeper intellectual understanding of the word in their opinion than others around them. Same pride, different package.

From the Commentary of John Gill. To bring another perspective. I do not necessarily agree but feel it is fair to broaden the scope of understanding

John 14:12
Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me,
&c.] Having mentioned his miracles as proofs of his deity, he assures his disciples, in order to comfort them under the loss of his bodily presence, that they should do the same, and greater works; for we are not to understand these words of everyone that believes in Christ, of every private believer in him, but only of the apostles, and each of them, that were true believers in him: to whom he says,

the works that I do shall he do also;
he shall raise the dead, heal all manner of diseases, and cast out devils; things which Christ gave his apostles power to do, when he first gave them a commission to preach the Gospel, and when he renewed and enlarged it: and which they did perform, not in their own name, and by their own power, but in the name, and by the power of Christ:

and greater works than these shall he do;
meaning, not greater in nature and kind, but more in number; for the apostles, in a long series of time, and course of years, went about preaching the Gospel, not in Judea only, but in all the world; "God also bearing them witness with signs and wonders, and divers miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost", ( Hebrews 2:4 ) , wherever they went: though perhaps by these greater works may be meant the many instances of conversion, which the apostles were instrumental in, and which were more in number than those which were under our Lord's personal ministry: besides, the conversion of a sinner is a greater work than any of the miracles of raising the dead for this includes in it all miracles: here we may see a sinner, dead in trespasses and sins, quickened; one born blind made to see; one who was deaf to the threatenings of the law, and to the charming voice of the Gospel, made to hear, so as to live; and one that had the spreading leprosy of sin all over him, cleansed from it by the blood of the Lamb yea, though a miracle in nature is an instance and proof of divine power, yet the conversion of a sinner, which is a miracle in grace, is not only an instance of the power of God, and of the greatness of it, but of the exceeding greatness of it: and the rather one may be induced to give in to this sense of the passage, since it is added, as a reason,

because I go to my Father;
and upon my ascension the Spirit will be given, to you, which shall not only enable you to perform miracles, as proofs of your apostleship, and the doctrine you preach, but which shall powerfully attend the Gospel to the conversion of multitudes of souls.

Petri-

What is your position in regard to a Christian praying for the miraculous?

What if a person feels moved by the Holy Spirit to pray for a lame person to walk? Is it your position they should not do so?

If you say they should, then I am not sure what the point of your posts are.

If you say they should not, then I disagree most strongly.

Do we have any historical evidence that any Christian did greater works then Jesus in the context of exactly like Jesus only better ..

Apart from benni Hinn !!

Many people say that when God does - through us - greater works than Jesus did, it is God who does the greater works than we, and therefore we are capable of doing greater works than Jesus because God does the works through us. This argument, too, is proven wrong by the truth manifested in the Bible.

The Bible teaches us that Jesus did not do anything by His own power. Instead, Father God did all the works through Him, and Jesus' prayers were heard because of His fear (respect) of God, and Jesus learned obedience from His suffering. Because Jesus was obedient to the Father, the Father did the Father's works through Jesus. If someone believes that he or she is capable of doing greater works than Jesus, they also declare - often unknowingly and due to their lack of understanding - that they are more obedient than Jesus and that their faith and confidence in God is greater than that of Jesus. God does God's works through faith and obedience, and if someone believes that they are capable of doing works that are greater than those by Jesus, they place themselves in a position where they would be more obedient than Jesus and where their faith and confidence in God would be greater than those of Jesus; God does God's works through faith and obedience created by God.

Not a single believer cannot have greater faith than Jesus had, and not a single believer can have greater confidence in God than Jesus had, and not a single believer can be more obedient than Jesus, and not a single believer can have faith that is greater than God (Jesus). Works of faith are works that take place through faith, and the truth is clear as day; not a single believer can have greater faith than Our Lord Jesus Christ. In regard to everything mentioned above, and to the truth shared with us through the Bible in full, it is evident that greater works cannot be greater in regard to quality (greater in power), but greater in number because not a single believer can have greater faith and obedience than Jesus. Some believers may have naively believed the false teaching of works greater than those by Jesus because they have relied on their own wisdom when reading about this subject in the Bible, only focusing on one verse, and have not read the Bible spiritually and compared th....

Do you have any new thoughts on this?

If a person is moved by the Holy Spirit to pray for a lame person to walk, so he should pray for a lame person. Still today God heals sick ones and makes miracles. The greatest miracle is when a sinner person repents his sins and believe in the Lord Jesus.

Although God makes miracles and heals sick ones today, it doesn't mean that all miracles are done by the power of God. Remember what Jesus said, when He stated:

Matthew 7:
21 ¶ Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity

Now you seem to be bouncing around and I'm not trying to pick on you but this verse is an entire different subject than the original post (OP) of us not being able to greater works.

Through some of the excellent responses to the OP, have you now changed your mind about greater works?

God bless,
Lisa

Your response to me just now? You copied and pasted AGAIN! LOL

We have been through this with other people over the years, you are not going to be worth your salt and people are going to stop responding to you if you can't type an original rebuttal.

There is no real argument that "greater works" is not "greater number" or "greater extent" in reach, scope, time. I rather like the notion myself. Jesus taught that His works in His people will multiply through generations? Sign me up.

What does impress me, though, is that we hold this treasure in earthen vessels, that we are not God, that we have not seen Him but believe --- and that He does this through us anyway. In my heart, that is "greater". His great mercies. His great love. His great patience. His great refusal to not have us transformed into His image.

Greater!

"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." John 14:12

Jesus's context is singular. He seems to be talking about individuals, whether you believe he is talking about magnitude or otherwise.

Elijah and Elisha raised the dead; Elijah called fire from heaven and Elisha made metal float.

Jesus seemed to be upset that his disciples woke him up in a panic to calm the stormy sea. He accused them of having little faith. I think he expected them to deal with the sea.

Peter had more men converted in one sermon than was recorded in all of Jesus's ministry.

To Tim's point, which is greater: a boy, born in riches, fed the best diets, provided with the best trainers money can buy and grows up to be a world class sprinter, or a boy, born in dire poverty, with no resources other than the for basic survival, who runs barefoot in the dirt but drives himself to become a world class sprinter?

We are extremely weak and flawed vessels. The fact that Jesus can do anything through us at all is amazing in and of itself.

But I say again, to the extent we are not individually doing greater works is our fault, not His.

Hello precious saints -

I was just discussing this verse with a brother the other day because he was planning to preach on these very passages in the coming weeks. I believe we get our eyes fixed on the wrong emphasis in the passage. We tend to incline our minds to the thought of "greater works" and immediately chalk ourselves up to the possibility of either doing "greater works in quality" or "greater works in quantity" than Jesus in His earthly ministry. This I believe is not what Jesus intended for us to do with these passages. These two "views" is how I think the disciples would have concluded before Acts 2. I believe the context Jesus was setting is the power of prayer and the further work of intercession and headship He would be granted when He went to the Father. When Jesus went to the Father, He didn't disappear or leave us orphans, but rather He was promoted to a place of excellent glory and superior mediation as our Great High Priest who reigns from Heaven. As we look at this statement through the lens of the book of Hebrews, it makes sense that Jesus was indicating that "because He was going to the Father" He would be able to accomplish even more though His Body, while He as the Head, the Captain of our Salvation at the helm, and Great High Priest in Heaven was EVER LIVING TO MAKE INTERCESSION FOR US. In other words, Jesus' ministry was not concluded, but rather enhanced and empowered by the power of an endless life. The weight of this scripture lies in His words "because I go to my Father". His graduated role and place of authority grants Jesus the means to accomplish greater works in and through His body, the Church.

May we lay hold of this reality to the fullest that Christ may do greater works in and through each of us as we avail ourselves to the God/Man Christ Jesus who is seated on the Throne of the Universe!

Blessings,

Kevin,

I think you are correct. I went back and read through that chapter and the context is all about Jesus going to be with the Father, which includes this verse "because I go to the Father.."

So, what are the greater works that Jesus has done through believers since He went to His Father?

Edit: It's not about us!

Just to clarify- I am not suggesting that any work is done apart from the HS; any work done is the work of Jesus through the power of the HS, which is why I don't understand the aversion to the idea that a greater work might be done by a disciple of Jesus; the work is the work of Jesus and all glory goes to Him.

John 14:9-14 Jesus answered: "Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
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I don't know guys. Based on the context of the passage above, Jesus is talking about the works he had been doing during his ministry. He said if you don't believe me, believe the works. In my opinion he was not talking about his work of priestly intercession because truly he had not yet fully entered into that work. He was talking about the physical works he had been doing and said that "whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing." He is talking about physical works. Technically, and I realize it is a technical point, the work of intercession is singular not plural. You would not do "works" of intercession.

It seems a plain reading is that he is telling his disciples to carry on with the physical work he has been doing. Of course he is also encouraging them to pray, but that is a separate issue.

I think you are correct. I went back and read through that chapter and the context is all about Jesus going to be with the Father, which includes this verse "because I go to the Father.."

So, what are the greater works that Jesus has done through believers since He went to His Father?

John 16:17. Nevertheless I tell you the truth, it is expedient for you that I go away, for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you, but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

John 14:12 and 17. Verily, Verily I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do, and greater works than these shall he do because I go to the father. ...Even the Spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him, but ye know him for he dwelleth with you and shall be in you.

I believe the context of Jesus teaching on the Holy Spirit in John shows us that the expediency of His leaving was so that He might send the Holy Spirit to dwell within us to empower us and anoint us to do the works the Jesus did. The Holy Spirit was with the disciples through Christ, but the Holy Spirit would be in them and us after the day of Pentecost.

We can do nothing. He can do all things. So when He is in us, we are empowered to do whatever His will is.

I wanted to make comment to the OP. I am having some difficulty understanding exactly what point he is making. If Jesus had never raised the dead, yet God, through the power of the Holy Spirit, used a believer to raise the dead, it would in no way diminish Jesus as the Son of God. We must realize that when He was on earth, Jesus condescended to my estate. He emptied himself of divine privilege. Paul tells us that in Philippians. So everything the Christ did, He did under the anointing of the Holy Spirit. It is the same Holy Spirit that was given on the day of Pentecost.

More works...bigger works? Not sure that splitting the hairs that fine matters much if it is not and has never been me doing the works but rather the Holy Spirit through me.

I will say this, I have never seen nor can I even imagine what could be "greater" in magnitude than raising the dead.

Todd: I agree. I am not diminishing the awesome and powerful work of salvation, but context points to the physical works, healing the sick, raising the dead, etc.. After all, we do not do the work of salvation like we do the work of healing. The Holy Spirit works through me as a willing vessel to affect a healing in another person's body. This is one of the 9 gifts of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit does not work through me to affect a salvation. He works through me to preach, teach, share, etc. But the actual work of salvation in another person's life is totally apart form me.

These are some very great insights and comments! I believe we are all looking at the same diamond and marveling at the many facets of it. What I am taking away from our comments is that there is a consensus about the following:

-Jesus was able to perform all of His works due to absolute dependence on the Father

-Jesus performed GREAT works in the form of physical manifestations and also spiritual healing through His ministry

-Jesus intended to continue His work after He left the earth and He would do so from the Father’s right hand in Heaven

-Jesus, as our Great High Priest and Sender of the Comforter (as promised) would empower His Body to do GREATER works as they in turn demonstrated their own dependence on Him through Prayer/intercession and yielding to the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit.

-Following the outpouring of the Spirit, GREATER works have been/are being accomplished due to the current ministry of Christ in His Church. This includes the miraculous, healings, dead being raised to life, demons cast out, speaking in new tongues, words of prophesy being spoken (to edify, comfort and exhort the Church) etc. and the continuing GREAT work of the Mission being carried out on earth wherein those that are spiritually dead are hearing the voice of the Son of God (through the Gospel preached) and being brought to Spiritual Life in Christ.

-So all that is lacking I believe or being begged in the questions are "why don’t we see more of the miraculous and other such signs that testify to these promises”?

My answer: I don’t know.

My inclination: Jesus did the works to testify of the message, but never as a stand alone spectacle. Perhaps we (myself most definitely included) need to focus more on the message of the Gospel than on the works themselves. I believe there is a component of faith and desperation that is lacking, at least in my own life. I’m not being hunted by religious officials, I have access to doctors, 401K, social security, medicine cabinet, drug stores, a closet full of clothes, transportation, running water, abundance of bread, religious freedom (by comparison) and just about every kind of comfort and vice that would keep me from needed to live and act in the mode of operation as the early disciples did. Maybe if everything got stripped away our weak scaffolding of earthly wisdom, help and comforts would diminish and we would be cast on Jesus and Jesus alone for all our needs.

May the Lord richly bless and encourage each of you today.

Sincerely,

In thinking about the question I posed, could these greater works be what we saw in the apostles? They cast out demons, raised the dead, were raised from the dead themselves after being stoned (i.e. Paul), brought capital punishment judgement to two liars, unharmed when bitten by a snake, many healed just by their shadow or by touching cloths, etc, etc.

If we are honest we don't see this in the magnitude today as the apostolic age. I don't think we can say it is our fault, because we have already agreed it is the work of Christ by the HS through us, not something we can produce.

Amen Kevin- to your entire post. I am in agreement with how you have summarized this.

I think fear of man plays into this as well- we are afraid to step out in faith because we are fearful that we will either fail or that we will get laughed at. So we just don't bother, and that's a crying shame.

If only we would realize that Jesus is sitting on the edge of His seat watching what we will do, cheering us on, and if only we could see Him sink back into his seat when we blow it. But he will be on the edge of His seat cheering us on the next time!

'These things shall ye do,and GREATER than these shall ye do.'

All the things that Jesus did,:

Opened blind eyes-
Healed the deaf
The crippled /lame
The dead,(Lazarus )
The wine

When The Spirit was come,the they would do the things He did for their
fiscal body then they would cause healing in The Spiritual,...everlasting.

Eyes to see Spiritualy
Ears to hear
Dead,..we were bound from head to foot,a Lazarus,...dead,...set free,brought to Life,though The Spirit.
Cripple / lame, ....our walk in The Spirit
Wine,...The New Wine,The Holy Spirit

......and more

Thanks be to our God,

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elizabeth