Doing the Works Jesus Did

Lesson #226

Jesus continues to talk to his disciples and now says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father” (John 14:12 ESV). “Whoever believes” includes all believers, not just certain ones. This phrase is followed by a promise. This is a phrase we have seen before and each time it is followed by a promise. For example, John 6:35: “. . . whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”; John 7:38: “Whoever believes in me, . . . ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”; John 11:25: “. . . Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live”; John 12:46: “. . . whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.” These five promises are for these who believe; this is normal Christianity.

If we are not careful, we can get ourselves into trouble here trying to figure out what the works Jesus did that we will do. If we scroll through our previous lessons and make a list of what Jesus did, we would get a list that would include the following: He turned water into wine (John 2:1 – 11); He read the mind of the woman of Samaria (John 4:18); He healed the official’s son (John 4:46 – 54); He healed the man crippled for 38 years (John 5:1 – 9); He fed 5000 people with five loaves and two fish (John 5:1 – 14); He walked on water (John 6:19); He healed a man born blind (John 9:1 – 7); He raised Lazarus from the dead after four days in the grave (John 11:43 – 44). Does this mean we should be able to do these also and if we can’t, does that mean we don’t believe? As we think about these miracles, it becomes clear that doing these things is not what is meant by doing the works Jesus did. So what did he mean?

These works that Jesus did were for the purpose of helping people believe in him (John 14:11). Therefore, the works we do should be for the purpose of helping people believe. Look at Galatians 2:20 and see if it doesn’t help: “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (ESV). When we get ourselves out of the way and allow Jesus to live in and through us, he is able to do his works through us. In this way we do the works he does because he works through us and those works are for the purpose of helping people believe. The works we do are to point people to Jesus, to bear witness of Jesus to others. These works that we are to do are the ones assigned to us as described in Ephesians 2:10: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (ESV). These are the works that are like his works.

We are at the end of the space I have allotted for a lesson and we have the most difficult part of the verse yet to cover: “and greater works than these will he do.” We will start at this point next time. Can you think of how we can do greater works that Jesus?

Prayer

Father, each time I sit down to work on a lesson I feel like I am being nourished spiritually and as I am I sense a stronger attachment to my home in heaven. There is a greater realization that I am here on assignment and one day my work will be done and I will be home with you. Through these studies I am also realizing that in one way or another, every aspect of our assigned work relates to kingdom work. We are to be content if we have food and covering, but how much food and how elaborate of a covering is needed before it affects our kingdom work. Father, I am afraid that we have allowed working for ourselves to leave little, if any, time for doing your assigned work. Forgive us and have mercy on us.