Difficult Questions for Christians Series - Part 4

Three weeks ago I started a series on "Difficult Questions for Christians." Here is where you can view the last three posts: "Why doesn't prayer work, when the Bible promises that it will?", "Why does the Bible record scientifically impossible events as factual?", and "Where is the justice in punishing us for Adam's sin?" Over the next 2 weeks I'll attempt to answer 2 more of the thousands of difficult questions posed by skeptics and Christians alike. Remember a few things though as you read. 1. This is a short answer to a difficult question that has probably plagued the human heart for thousands of years. 2. God's Word is the ultimate authority with answers, not a fallible pastor. 3. The Bible doesn't give us the answers to every question we have. It tells us what we need to know, not necessarily what we want to know. With that being said, let's jump into our next question in the series.

Why aren't Christians doing greater works than Jesus did, since He Himself said they would?

This particular question centers around a statement Jesus made in John 14:12 during His time in the Upper Room and just prior to His crucifixion. This verse says, "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father" (NIV). Now the argument will be made by the one asking the question that the context of Jesus' statement is referring to miracles. Therefore the concept of the question is why aren't Christians doing greater miracles than Jesus did if that is what the text implies. Like the other questions we've tried to answer in this series, you have to take a few things into consideration to come to a more complete answer.

Jesus wasn't referring to miracles. Was He?
Bible scholars have struggled with this statement for nearly 2,00 years. Jesus had just mentioned miracles in verse 11 but was it in the context of doing miracles that He makes this comment? It really doesn't seem to be so. The context of verses 9-12 (read them here) has to do with people putting their faith in Christ as their Lord and Savior. Jesus references His miracles as another sign that He is the Son of God and the Savior of mankind. So when we look at the wider context of what Jesus was talking about in these verses (not to mention verses 1-8), we see that Jesus wasn't referring to His miracles in verse 12. What He seems to be referring to here is leading people to faith in God through a relationship with Him. 

The apostles did do greater works than Jesus.
Hear me out before you hang me for heresy because of the line above. One regular view that you find from bible scholars and bible commentators is that the best view of verse 12 is to take it at face value with a literal interpretation. That means when Jesus told the disciples that they would do "greater works" (NKJV, KJV) than Him, He meant they would accomplish more than He did during His time on earth. Jesus had a ministry of three and a half years. He covered an area of roughly 4,400 square miles during His ministry. Due to the fact He physically could only be in one place at a time, Jesus was limited as to what He could accomplish during 3.5 years and geographically limited to less than half the nation of Israel. That being said, Jesus trained 12 men to do the same things He had been doing and then sent them out. The 12 (Matthias taking Judas Iscariot's place) went out and performed miracles like Christ did. More importantly the 12 disciples took the Gospel message to the ends of the known world. They started churches in countries as far away as India. They led rich and poor people to faith in Christ. They started the spread of Christianity outside the walls of Jerusalem. From that perspective, the apostles did do greater works than Jesus did.

Christians are still doing greater works than Jesus.
Look around the world today and you will see that Christians are still doing greater works than Jesus did in His short ministry. Christians are able to reach every inch of the globe with the Gospel by sending correspondence electronically or sending missionaries into the most remote jungles. There are companies such as Chick-fil-a, Hobby Lobby, and others who are unashamedly using their corporate platform to advance the Gospel. There are ministries such as Samaritan's Purse, The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, and The Gideons International who are spreading the message of Christ around the globe. No, Christians aren't walking on water or turning water into wine these days, but they are still performing miracles with the help of God. See the greatest miracle that can ever occur is the miracle God performs in a person's life to bring them from spiritual death to spiritual life. Through Christians sharing the Gospel, God is still performing miracles and doing greater works through them. (Follow this link if you want to learn more about the miracle God performs to bring a person from spiritual death to spiritual life.) From this perspective, Christians are still fulfilling Jesus' statement and doing greater works than He did.

I hope this brief look at "Why aren't Christians doing greater works that Jesus did, since He Himself said they would?" will help you see what Jesus expects from His followers. As always, I'm open to comments and questions, either here on the blog or via Social Media. If this question brings to mind another difficult question about faith, then by all means ask it.


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