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.
Do you believe in Jesus? Have you been doing the works he has been doing? Have you done even greater things, or do you know someone who has?
The key question here is what does Jesus mean by, “…the works I have been doing?” What works?
The word in Greek translated as “works,” is ergon. Strong’s Concordance defines ergon as, “toil (as an effort or occupation); by implication, an act:—deed, doing, labour, work.”
Jesus’ occupation was to do the will of God. (John 4: 34) The will of God is that His creation is redeemed from death and restored to a relationship with Him. Our part in this is to believe in Jesus. John 6:29 says, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”
The work of Jesus is accomplished when we believe in Him, and through Him we are restored to a relationship with our Creator. When this happens, we open ourselves to Jesus, and by extension God. We then become involved in the “works” of Jesus. It is as if everyone who believes in Jesus is an extension of Jesus in the world.
PS – In John 6:29 Jesus says, ”The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” As I live out my daily life in Christ I find that the hardest part of doing this work is battling with what Paul refers to in Romans 7:24 as ”the body of death” (NRSV). Staying focused on God’s will is work. Often it is very hard work. Except for that part on the cross, and the forty days in the wilderness without food, and having people constantly plotting his death, Jesus made it look easy. In reality, for the rest of us, it can seem very hard.
Let’s Discuss: If the presence of Jesus in the world is multiplied by a billion believers, does that qualify as a “greater thing?”
That’s a good point. If we’re all doing the work of God, where there be a need on the church body that isn’t met? This is very challenging to me. Am I doing what I really should be doing for God? Or am I doing things that I like to do?
I agree with RS. It is a greater thing, but we need to respond by using our gifts and talents to shine the light of Jesus in a dark world. That is challenging and convicting. But it certainly highlights our purpose and brings meaning to our lives.
While I agree it is challenging and convicting for me, it is also very freeing. The work isn’t dependent on me alone, I am just one very small piece of a very large body that does Christ’s work. I don’t need to do or be everything – which is good because I can’t! Neither can you! But we the Church can and by God’s grace will do it. As Rich mentioned, God gives different gifts to us and passions to serve in different ways – it is a joy to serve in the ways God has gifted us.
Wonderful comments! (As always! 🙂 )
God does challenge us to be more Christ-like. He also comforts us with the knowledge that he alone is capable of ensuring his will is done. Yet we are allowed to be part of his work, a light in a dark world, a doorway to the Kingdom of God. Christ in us is our comfort and our challenge.