Are You Doing the 'Greater Works'?

Recently, I wrote a two-part series of posts examining a new film called Deadraiser. The film's premise is that Jesus commissioned all Christians to heal the sick and raise the dead. So, if you are a Christian, then should be performing these miracles as a part of your normal Christian walk, according to the filmmakers.But I argued--contrary to the film-- that Jesus did not commission all Christians to heal the sick and raise the dead. I sought to show that the miracles in the Gospels and Acts were descriptions of what Jesus and his disciples did--not prescriptions of behavior for all Christians to emulate.But What About John 14:12?Yet, whenever I present this argument--that miracle working is not a normal practice of the Christian life--people who disagree with me say I have overlooked a key verse of Scripture--John 14:12. They claim Jesus' words  in John 14:12 are a clear promise that all his followers, in all ages, will perform the same miracles Jesus did--and, in fact, even greater miracles than he did.Here are Jesus' exact words.

“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)

Doesn't this verse teach that all Jesus' followers will perform the same--and even greater--miracles than he did?No, I don't believe it does. There are some significant problems with interpreting it as a promise that all believers will perform miracles.Problem No. 1: "Works" Does Not Equal MiraclesTo make sure you arrive at a correct interpretation of Scripture, it is crucial to pay attention to the larger context a verse is found in. And John 14:12 comes from the Gospel of John. Throughout this Gospel, the author--the apostle John--uses different words when he refers to Jesus' "signs"--as in his miraculous "signs" and wonders--and when he refers to Jesus' "works"--which includes not only the miracles Jesus worked, but to all he did as part of his overall ministry, including his teaching.Certain actions of Jesus that are referred to specifically as "signs" include when Jesus turns water into wine (John 2:11), when he heals the official's son (John 4:54), and when he feeds 5,000 people (John 6:14). But John never applies the word "sign" to anyone but Jesus. He chose his words carefully because miraculous "signs" in in the Gospel of John serve a sole purpose-to authenticate Jesus as the unique and long-awaited Messiah (John 20:30-31).Yet when John refers to Jesus' broader ministry--not just to his miraculous signs, but to all Jesus did during his earthly life--he uses the words "work" or "works" (John 4:34; 5:36, 10:32; 17:4). And it is the word "works" John uses when he records Jesus' promise to all believers in John 14:12.Thus, it does not seem best to understand Jesus' words as a promise specifically of miracle-working power for all Christians. Rather, they are better understood as a promise pertaining to the many, various types of ministry that will be performed by Christians in the world--in continuation of the work Jesus began--including evangelism, teaching, and acts of love.Problem No. 2: Greater Does Not Necessarily Mean "More Spectacular"Besides, to think that Jesus' promise is mainly about miracles is to miss Jesus' bigger point--which is that the "works" done by those who believe in him would be greater than his own works.Yet, in what respect could their works be described as "greater" than Jesus' works? Certainly, there can be nothing more miraculous than giving sight to the blind and raising the dead. So, when Jesus said "greater works" he must have had something in mind other than greater--or more miraculous--miracles. So, then, what does "greater" mean?New Testament scholars--including D.A. Carson, George R. Beasley-Murray and Andreas Köstenberger--agree. The works done by believers are greater in the sense that they would be performed during a greater eschatological era--that is, after Jesus' finished work on the cross, glorification, and ascension. That is what Jesus means when he says, "greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. (John 14:12, emphasis mine). In other words, the works of present-day Christians are superior because they are done on the basis of the finished work of Christ and with the full range of spiritual resources that have been made available through his finished work.(See an insightful article titled "The 'Greater Works of the Believer' According to John 14:12," written by New Testament scholar Andreas J. Köstenberger.)Problem No. 3: Jesus' Apostles Didn't Interpret John 14:12 as a Promise That All Believers Will Perform MiraclesAnother way to make sure you arrive at a correct interpretation of a teaching of Jesus is to see if your interpretation lines up with how the apostles interpreted his teaching. Their understanding is crucial because they were eyewitnesses of his entire ministry and were uniquely appointed by him to be the authoritative guardians of his teachings (John 15:27, Acts 1:21-22). And the Twelve apostles, plus the apostle Paul, were divinely inspired to interpret the significance of his teachings for the church through their New Testament writings (John 14:26; 15:26-27, Ephesians 3:4-9).But there is no indication that these apostles understood Jesus' words in John 14:12 as a promise that all believers would regularly perform miracles. Never once in Acts or their epistles do we see the teaching that working miracles is normative. On the contrary, we see the apostle Paul teaching that working miracles is not the norm when he specifically identifies the working of miracles and "gifts of healing" as spiritual gifts that not all Christians possess (1 Corinthians 12:29-30).And when Christians at the church in Thessalonica were grieving over the recent deaths of loved ones, Paul did not encourage them with an assurance that they could raise the dead--which  would have been appropriate had Jesus' promise in John 14:12 been about miracles. Rather, Paul encouraged the grieving Christians by assuring them that their deceased loved ones would be raised at the coming of the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).Problem No. 4: Miracles Aren't Happening All the TimeThe most important thing to consider, when forming our beliefs, is what the Bible says. So, we should always look first to Scripture. But we should also look to experience. After all, if Scripture teaches that something is true then we should see that teaching played out in real life.In other words, if the Bible really teaches that all Christians should be performing miracles left and right, then we should see them actually doing so.But the fact is we don't see all Christians regularly performing miracles. Even in the movie Deadraiser--which seeks to show that healing the sick and raising the dead are a normal part of the Christian life--the members of the "dead raising team" do not heal or resurrect a single person.At this point, I know some people will object that the reason we don't see more miracles today is because many Christians don't have enough faith for them. But I don't buy that explanation. If the Bible teaches that miracles should be performed regularly, then most Christians through church history have not had enough faith for them. And that explanation smacks of elitism. Besides, the Deadraiser team certainly had faith for miracles when they produced the film, yet they couldn't show one miracle.That doesn't mean miracles don't occur today. It just means they aren't being performed regularly. But this is to be expected since a miracle, by definition, is an extraordinary act of God. In other words, it is not His ordinary means of operating in the world.-- Holly Pivec