"GREATER THINGS THAN THESE" (JOHN 14:12)

John utilizes the word “greater” no less than thirteen times in his Gospel. And interestingly over half of the occurrences appear as exact or near doublets. So we have:

        “Are you greater than Jacob (4:12) / Abraham (8:53)?”

        “He will show him greater works” (5:20) / “Greater works than these will you do” (14:12)

        “My Father...is greater than all” (10:29) / “The Father is greater than I” (14:28)

        “The servant is not greater than his lord” (13:16; 15:20)

The second example above is the one I would like to discuss. John 5:20 does not pose any special problem in understanding since it just states that God the Father will show more marvelous works through Jesus that will be amazing to behold. But John 14:28 is another story. So here is how it reads in the RSV:

    “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I go to the Father.”

The second appearance of “works” in this verse is actually missing in the Greek. Thus, the English translations are evenly divided between adding “works” (generally understood as miracles) and the more ambiguous term “things.”

That promise, if it indeed refers to miracles seems a little hard to swallow in light of Jesus' raising people from the dead, stilling storms, feeding multitudes, etc. Thus, Borchert feels that “greater” can hardly mean more dramatic works than those. But he goes on: “It does not take a genius to imagine how many interpretations of this statement are possible.” That may be true, but quite surprisingly, the commentators I consulted fell into two interpretive camps, with some minor variations within each.

Worldwide Evangelism

This appears to be the most popular understanding of John 14:12. But it is expressed in various different ways by scholars:

    Donald Guthrie: “Clearly the 'works' must here be understood in terms of God-given mission, and 'greater works' would then related to the wider opportunities which the disciples would have when Jesus had returned to the Father...The book of Acts is a commentary on this promise.”

    As one example of this, F.F. Bruce cites Peter's hearers who on the Day of Pentecost were converted. They “amounted to three thousand – a much larger company won in a single day than Jesus had secured to His allegiance in two or three years of public ministry.”

    Morris: “Jesus is not speaking of the doing of miracles, but of service of a more general kind...What Jesus means we may see in the narratives of the Acts. There there are a few miracles of healing, but the emphasis is on the mighty works of conversion.”

    Ryle: “There is no greater work possible than the conversion of a soul.”

    Borchert feels that the context of this saying, Jesus' death and resurrection, demands that the words refer to communicating to the world the forgiveness of sins.

    Blum: “The apostles would not necessarily do more stupendous miracles than Jesus did...but their outreach would be greater...Miracles are important, but some evangelists have done 'even greater things than these' by preaching the good news to many thousands of people.”

    Ellis: “The works performed by the Christian are done in communion with the living Savior. But they are greater in their sphere of influence. Jesus' works were limited to the days of His flesh and the land in which he lived. But the Church which is His body has a worldwide influence in winning men for Him.”

    O.M. Hendricks: “Jesus' ascension to the Father opens up a global mission (17:20-24).”

    D.G. Miller: “Greater works (of a more exalted nature because redemption is achieved) will be done by the believers through prayer (vv. 13,15), obedience (v. 15), and the Holy Spirit (counselor, vv. 16,17).”

    Iverson: “Given the implications of John's Christology and receptivity to the gospel already displayed by the Gentiles, it may be that the 'greater works' include the missional expansion of the church among the Gentiles.”

Miracles

Then there are those who either cite miracles of the type Jesus carried out in the flesh as part of what He is talking about, feel that is the main meaning of his statement, or are rather ambiguous in their explanations:

    The notes in The Jerusalem Bible state that “Christ brought revelation and salvation; his miracles were 'signs' of these things. The 'works' of the disciples will continue this ministry.”

    Twelftree: “In using 'work' (ergon) especially for Jesus' miracles, the Fourth Gospel conveys the idea that God is to be understood as the author of, particularly, what is seen in Jesus' miracles... However, while the miracles are a distinct 'work' of Jesus, in also using 'work' for the whole ministry of Jesus, and even his works, John blurs the distinction between the miracles, the words and the entire work of Jesus...”

    Davids: “What are these works? We know that they are not his teachings for he refers to his works as evidence for believing his teachings. Thus they must be 'the miracles' (as the NIV correctly translates), for those are the works which in John are connected with people believing...Given the context, the greater things can only be greater miracles.”

He sees no problem with believers carrying out greater miracles since it is still God, working through them, who is the source of the power. “They are at least equal in kind and could be viewed as greater in the sense that they are done over a wider area and thus on a scale that Jesus could not do while on earth but can do as glorified in heaven.” Davids cites as examples, Galatians 3:5; I Corinthians 12; James 5:14-16; and Hebrews 6:4-5.

    Raymond Brown notes that other references to 'greater works' are found in John 1:50 and 14:20 “in a context referring to judging and giving life, and perhaps a share in these two works is included in what the disciples are now being promised. They will share in judgment, for the risen Jesus will give them power over sin (xx 21-23) and will give them the Paraclete who will prove the world wrong about judgment (xv 8,11). They will also have a mission to bring a share in Jesus' life to others ('bear fruit': xv 16).” Lastly, Brown mentions the miracles that believers will be able to do that are found in the dubious longer ending of Mark as well as Matthew 21:21 as possible additional “works.”