14:11
Jesus urges them to believe Him when He says the Father and He are one. Even if they cannot grasp the concept intellectually, He urges them to believe because of the works. The works here can be viewed in its widest sense. It includes the miracles, the signs and wonders, but it also includes all His teaching and actions.
14:12
Jesus did not just draw attention to the works He does as “proof” of who He is, He also did this because His disciples would do the same things. In fact we will do greater things. As mentioned earlier, there is something of a transition or progression in Jesus’ teaching in this chapter. Previously the focus has been on who Jesus is, and that is still a key element. However, two further elements come to the fore. One is the Holy Spirit, and the other is our place in all this.
Because Jesus is going to the Father we will do greater works than Jesus did. Now what did Jesus mean by greater works? First, remember that the works applies to everything that Jesus did, the signs, the teaching, the actions. So does it mean we will do greater miracles? If we look in Acts we see the apostles doing similar miracles. In fact on several cases the incidents recorded would fit nicely in the gospels. However, they did not do greater miracles in quality. The “greater” refers to the global nature, ie the gospel spreading throughout the world, and the effectiveness. In Jesus’ time on earth there was very little real faith. After the resurrection and Pentecost there would be real faith. People would hear the gospel, would be born again and would truly believe. A transformation would take place in their lives.
We have not been saved just for our own benefit, but so that the work of God will continue through us. And this is only able to happen because Jesus was returning to the Father. Why did this matter? For two related reasons. First He would pay the price of our sins on the cross, and secondly the Holy Spirit would then be sent to us.
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