Here are words of promise which Jesus spoke to his disciples. They contrast his achievement with theirs. Just stop for a minute and think, and answer this question: how do these words of Jesus strike you?

I can imagine various re­actions:

• Maybe they puzzle you and make you ask: what do these words really mean?

• Maybe they rebuke you and make you say: it's just not true in my experience.

• Maybe they excite you and give you a new sense of expectation.

Let's take a closer look at these words in the light of these reactions and see if we can bring understanding to those who are puzzled; help to those who stand re­buked, and a greater expectation still to those who are excited.

Puzzlement⤒🔗

The puzzlement, I'm sure, arises from two sources. Firstly, there's the feeling that this brings Christ down; it seems to make the disciple greater than the master. And, secondly, there's the ques­tion: what are the "greater works" that the disciples of Jesus are meant to do?

We'll start with that second difficulty which I want to try and explain in three sets of contrasts.

Not Individually but as A Church←⤒🔗

Does this promise me that I can raise a Lazarus or preach a better sermon than the Sermon on the Mount? No, this isn't intended to be a description of each and every individual Christian. It refers to Jesus' people as a body. Jesus' words will be fulfilled in the experience of the church as a body of people.

We look for this to hap­pen in the overall experi­ence of God's people. And as a matter of fact, cumulatively, throughout the ages, the church has indeed done greater things than Jesus did in his mini­stry of teaching and work­ing of signs. Think on where the church is today worldwide and how it got there, and you'll see that this is true.

Not Just to the Jews but also to the Gentiles←⤒🔗

Jesus' ministry was quite restricted. He was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matthew 15:24). He didn't think it fitting to take the children's food and cast it to the dogs (Mark 7:27). He lived virtually all his days in Palestine, and his main contacts were with the Jewish people themselves. It is true that there were sig­nificant exceptions to this, but his outlook is accurately summed up: "he came to that which was his own, and his own received him not" (John 1:11).

There is no such restric­tion to the church's ministry today. In comparison to the limited ministry of Christ, the ministry of the church is extensive. It is not confined to one area but ex­tends throughout the whole world; it is not limited to one person but embraces folks from every nation and culture and tongue. In that sense, the church's ministry is greater than Jesus'.

Not Just Physical but Spiritual Miracles←⤒🔗

Jesus raised the dead. What miracle is greater than that? At first sight, we might not have an answer but, of course, the answer is: raising the spiritually dead is greater than raising the physically dead.

There is a work in the spiritual realm greater than what Jesus did in the physical realm. People are spiritually dead: they have no spiritual faculties; no awareness of God, no living relationship with him. But, through the power of the gospel, spiritual faculties are conveyed to them; they become aware of God, re­spond to his call and come to experience him.

This happens through the church's witness. In that sense, when people turn to Christ through the preach­ing of the gospel, the church is doing greater things than what Jesus did when he said: "Lazarus, come out!"

When we put these three factors together, some of the difficulties of this verse ought to disappear. But there may remain a sus­picion that this still sounds as if the servant were greater than the master. Re­membering the keynote of Jesus' earthly ministry may make that suspicion vanish.

Humiliation←⤒🔗

The eternal son of God took on a real human nat­ure. He was born into an ordinary home; he worked as a joiner; he knew the normal joys and sorrows of human life.

Especially he knew the dark and unpleasant side of life. Not that he did any­thing wrong, but he felt the sharp conflict with tempta­tion. He knew what it was to be tired out; to be ex­posed to danger; to be mocked and scorned.

Feeling things going against him fits into that pattern. At one stage in his ministry, the crowds, who at first had flocked to hear him, began to desert him, so much so that he said to his disciples: "will you also leave me?" They said: no, but of course, eventually they did too.

One of them betrayed him, another denied him. In the Garden of Gethsemane, when he felt the need of human companionship, they slept. When he was arrested, they all forsook him and fled. All this shows him as one who "had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men" (Isaiah 53:2-3).

All that was necessary, part of tasting human ex­perience to the full; part of the process of humiliation that he chose to go through.

The saying of Jesus which we are looking at fits into that pattern. He's saying: this time of humiliation, when I learn what it feels for folks to turn their backs on me and desert me, will soon come to an end; then you'll enter on a time of blessing when you'll do greater things than these.

This verse shouldn't puzzle us, for it fits into the basic pattern of Jesus' earthly life: our Lord made himself of no reputation.

But though this text shouldn't puzzle us, it should still rebuke us.

Rebuke←⤒🔗

There is no doubt that this promise is being ful­filled. The Day of Pentecost itself brought a substantial fulfillment of it. Think on how the church has been ex­tended to so many parts of the world; reflect on the experience of revivals at dif­ferent times and you'll see that the promise is true to experience.

Though we delight in the fulfillment of this in past ages or in other countries, it's natural to ask about our experience of this promise. That's where the rebuke comes in. Is this true for us, today?

A Sad Scenario←⤒🔗

This speaks to us about priorities: what matters most is that work which is inner and spiritual — the miracle of the spiritually dead being raised to life.

This needs emphasised because there can be a con­trary emphasis on what is outward and spectacular. For some, physical healing, speaking in tongues and outward signs count for a lot. They urge these as the greatest works of all. But this verse reminds us that that is not so.

Imagine this scenario. Charismatic believers point to their healings and say: isn't that great? We say to them: your healings don't count, compared to con­versions. So they say to us: where are your con­versions? And what do we say? We have to admit that, among ourselves at least, there is not that spiritual power which accomplishes the works that Jesus did, never mind doing greater things than these.

Whether or not that scen­ario is a realistic one to you, there can be no doubt that there is among us today little sign of the spiritual power that Jesus speaks of here. We stand rebuked.

But that's by no means the whole story. When we consider how Jesus en­visaged this promise would come about, our sense of being rebuked should be deepened.

Exaltation←⤒🔗

Jesus says quite plainly that this will happen be­cause he goes to his Father. This is not a way of saying: you'll do greater things than me, because my ministry is going to be prema­turely interrupted by my departure. Rather he's saying that he's going to the Father will be the means by which this promise is ful­filled.

It isn't through our own ability or inventiveness; persuasiveness or en­deavour that this will hap­pen. Although this saying seems to give us an import­ant place, and indeed it does do that, yet it also reminds us that this is all de­pendent on him. He creates the conditions for this to happen. He did so by his going to the Father; in other words, by his exaltation to heaven.

Homecoming←⤒🔗

Jesus' ascension to hea­ven was the greatest homecoming that ever was. He is a prince but he's been living as a pauper; and now he's going to ascend up to where he was before. The joyful and glorious wel­come that awaits him is to be measured by the hardships endured; the suffer­ings faced; the temptations resisted. It's got to be seen in the light of Calvary where blood was shed; scorn was faced and aban­donment was real. It's the homecoming of the one that fought the greatest battle that ever was and, though he tasted death, gained the victory.

The days of humiliation are over. Now honour and glory await him. He is to be exalted as a Prince and a Saviour; seated in authority at the Father's right hand and told to wait there until all enemies are made to sub­mit.

In virtue of that exalta­tion, his people will do greater things than Jesus did. How come? As we are joined to him in his death, so we are united to him in his triumph. We are associated with him in his exaltation so that the glory and power with which he was honoured overflow to those connected with him. Paul speaks of us being seated in heavenly places in Christ. He meant that God's people have the same status in God's sight as Jesus has.

God's people share in the exaltation of Christ, there­fore they do greater things than he did when he was in his humiliation.

That's what adds to our rebuke: how can we be so poor if we are joined to one who is so rich?

Excitement←⤒🔗

Even if you get just a glimpse of the believer's connection with Christ in his exalta­tion, it humbles us. But it exhilarates us too: it stirs up a sense of expectation of the blessings that flow to us in Christ. It whets our appetite and makes us ask: how do we enter into this experi­ence? The answer given here is twofold.

Faith←↰⤒🔗

Some might think that the promise we're thinking about was given to the apostles alone and that it was fulfilled essentially at Pentecost and in the early New Testament age when great works were done and the Gentiles brought in. Nothing could be further from the truth. This is specifically said to be the experience of the "one that believes in him". Here is a promise laid before God's church in all ages to be em­braced by faith.

The experience of what is promised here will be ours in the measure in which we lay hold by faith upon the truth that Jesus has gone to the Father to represent us there. We need to grasp that as he acted for us in his death, so he acts for us yet. The honour that came to him is ours too, in him. He is our representative, acting for us, at the Father's right hand, asking for blessings and showering them on us.

Believing reflection on that truth, will lead to a deepened experience of what Christ speaks of here.

Prayer←↰⤒🔗

With this faith, most na­turally, prayer is connected. Jesus' going to the Father is an act performed as his people's representative. Because he's there for them and because all authority in heaven and earth has been given him, he will do what­ever they ask in his name.

The vision of faith which sees him honoured at the Father's right hand and which sees us in him sharing in his exaltation will lead us to seek the blessing which Christ speaks of here.

Hence, when this belief in our union with the exalted Lord expresses itself in prayer, this promise be­comes a reality.