Greater Works Than These
“For the Souls in Purgatory – Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord”
John 14:12
Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father.
Grace Prayed For
Lord, let us not make our smallness an excuse for inaction. Fill us with the Holy Spirit so that, in your name, what seems impossible might become possible.
Reflection
This verse makes people nervous, and understandably so. Did Jesus actually say that his followers would do greater works than his own miracles? The temptation is to minimize or qualify until the promise loses its force.
But let it stand for a moment at full strength. Jesus, departing for the Father, releases his disciples into mission with this astonishing commission: greater works. What could he mean?
The early church seemed to understand it this way: where Jesus physically present could reach hundreds in first-century Palestine, the Spirit-filled community scattered across the Roman world — and eventually the globe — would touch millions. The ‘greater’ is not in the quality of the individual work but in the scale of the mission, the scope of the transformation, the reach of the love.
And perhaps there is more. The works of the church at its best — care for the sick, education of the young, liberation of the enslaved, feeding of the hungry, proclamation of the Gospel to those who have never heard — these are the works of the Body of Christ, the Risen Lord acting through human hands and voices and choices.
For small groups, this verse asks a diagnostic question: Are we living as if the Risen Christ is actually working through us? Or have we unconsciously decided that the era of remarkable things is over — that our faith is primarily about personal piety and moral maintenance, not about changing the world?
The one going to the Father has not abandoned the project. He has distributed it. To us. Greater works than these.
What might that look like in your community?
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Sharing
Jesus last words on Earth were to his disciples, can be found in Matthew Chap 28 when Jesus told his disciples, “Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
Jesus calls all of us to share in his redemptive mission here on Earth. I would ask you to share this Scripture reflection with your family, your friends and your acquaintances, and then share it with a couple of individuals that you may may not be comfortable sharing with, keeping in mind always the words of Jesus, And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age
Author was assisted by AI in the drafting of this Post