While yet in the upper room, and before they left for Gethsemane (cp. John 14:31), Jesus continued speaking with his disciples, who continued to trust that he was the Messiah. Judas, remember, had left to carry out his plan of betrayal (John 13:21-30). According to my most recent studies, we learned that these men in the upper room with Jesus were struggling in their faith. All they had ever believed about the coming of the Messiah had been challenged recently by Jesus, himself. Yet, they continued to trust the he was, indeed, the one they looked for. Nevertheless, at this time in chapter fourteen of John’s Gospel, Jesus’ challenge went even deeper than testing their trust in him as the Messiah. At this time in the upper room, more clearly than ever before, Jesus presented himself to them as God in the flesh (John 1:1, 14; cp. John 14:10-11)!
Scholars are not in agreement over what Jesus says next. Notice what Jesus told his disciples:
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it” (John 14:12-14).
Jesus promised his disciples, particularly his Apostles, but anyone who believed in him and whom he sent out with the Gospel would be enabled to do the same miracles he had done, healing, raising the dead etc. No one disputes that the text agrees the disciples sent out did perform the same kind of miracles Jesus did in the Gospel narratives. Disagreement comes with greater works. What does this mean? Did Jesus mean his disciples would perform a greater number of miracles, or greater miracles? But, if either is true, what would this mean, and how would it fit the context of Jesus telling his disciples earlier that the servant isn’t greater than his Lord (John 13:13-16)? What would greater miracles or even more miracles prove, especially in the context that it was God in them who did the works, just as Jesus said of himself? Is God greater than God? Does God, dwelling in the disciples, work more better than God in Christ?
Some conclude that Jesus meant his disciples’ miracles would be more effective and bring more folks to God than he did, because they would work throughout the world (Matthew 28:19-20), but he stayed in the lands of the Jews to do his miracles. Yet, this interpretation seems to fall flat with me, because it would be quite obvious, if the Gospel would be successful at all, and if the disciples were sent into all the world, their ministry would derive more believers than Jesus’ did in the lands of the Jews. Why did Jesus even mention such a thing, or the Gospel narrator record it, when the conclusion was so obvious?
None of these interpretations work, as far as I’m concerned. So, what does greater mean? I think the key to understanding what Jesus meant is the reason, which he gave in the text: “because I go unto my Father!” (John 14:12). What occurred after Jesus was crucified, rose from the dead and ascended to his Father? Pentecost! God came down and dwelt with men. Jesus promised to send the Spirit who would dwell with his disciples forever (John 14:16). He would teach them everything they needed to know (John 14:26). In other words, the Father and Jesus would come and dwell with believers (John 14:23). As long as Jesus remained in the flesh, the Spirit could not be given men (John 14:17; 16:7).
What Jesus couldn’t do, because it was impossible, while he lived in the flesh, was give spiritual understanding to men. He fleshed out God (John 1:18) and made God understandable in human terms. He gave us an example to follow. He was God who could be observed, listened to and touched etc., but he couldn’t indwell the believer and give him spiritual understanding (cp. Colossians 1:27)! He was able to do that only after he had gone to be with the Father (John 14:12). This is the greater work Jesus’ disciples were able to do, that Jesus didn’t do, while in the flesh, BECAUSE he had not yet returned to the Father (John 16:7; cp. John 14:12).
Therefore, and in the context of what Jesus was revealing to his disciples in the upper room, namely that he was God in the flesh, when they would pray, later, in his name, vis-à-vis according to his will as the Messiah and Prophet who was to come (cp. Deuteronomy 18:18-19)—HE would answer that prayer! (John 14:13-14), because, in doing so, his Father would be glorified through his indwelling men (John 14:23).
Smoodock's Blog 