John 14:8-15
Greater Works
MKJV Philip said to Him, Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us. (9) Jesus said to him, Have I been with you such a long time and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father. And how do you say, Show us the Father? (10) Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father in Me? The Words that I speak to you I do not speak of Myself, but the Father who dwells in Me, He does the works. (11) Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the very works themselves. (12) Truly, truly, I say to you, He who believes on Me, the works that I do he shall do also, and greater works than these he shall do, because I go to My Father. (13) And whatever you may ask in My name, that I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. (14) If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. (15) If you love Me, keep My commandments.
Jesus says that the very words and works He does come directly from the Father, that they are done because the Father dwells in Him, and that we will do “greater works” as we shall also be God-indwelt through the Holy Spirit (verse 15 and following). As God-indwelt, born-again true believers we will also have a special relationship with God and we will be able ask anything in Jesus’ name and He will do it.
Jesus asks, almost in frustration: “Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father in Me?” One illustration that explains this seeming paradox is of a bottle thrown into the ocean, the ocean fills the bottle - so the ocean is “in the bottle” at the same time that the bottle is “in the ocean”. We are in Christ and Christ is in us and Christ is in God and God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself. Jesus was completely full of God and was “the fullness of deity in bodily form” (Colossians 2:9) and yet He was also in God and solely directed by God. For Jesus the Father was His world - that which He dwelt in and lived for.
“The Words that I speak to you I do not speak of Myself, but the Father who dwells in Me, He does the works” - the Greek is critical to understanding this verse. “Words” is “rhemata” - utterance, sayings, spoken words, words of power for a given moment, the spoken word of spiritual command such as “rise up and walk” rather than the logos word of written Scripture.
G4487 rhema hray'-mah From G4483; an utterance (individually, collectively or specifically); by implication a matter or topic (especially of narration, command or dispute); with a negative naught whatever: - + evil, + nothing, saying, word. Strong's Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries
Thus when Jesus ministered and spoke a word of utterance such as “Peace, be still” or “Eyes, be opened” or “Be cleansed” these words did not come from Him - but from the Father. They were God’s commands to His Creation, uttered through the voice of His Son!
Most of Jesus works were done by words, words of power. From the raising of Lazarus, to the healing of a lame man, to the casting out of a demon, to teaching a disciple, words were Jesus main tools. But they were words spoken with power, words that changed things, words with authority because they were grounded in God the Father. That is why Jesus can treat His words and His works as virtually identical and construct what seems to be a confusing sentence: “The Words that I speak to you I do not speak of Myself, but the Father who dwells in Me, He does the works.”
“Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the very works themselves. (12) Truly, truly, I say to you, He who believes on Me, the works that I do he shall do also, and greater works than these he shall do, because I go to My Father.” Jesus going to the Father was the Ascension-Pentecost event which resulted in “taking captivity captive” that is the spoiling of the principalities and powers - and “gifts being given to men” - gifts of the Holy Spirit. With Satan’s power greatly reduced by the cross and the Spirit bestowed on the Church in power at Pentecost Jesus anticipated that they would do “greater works” than He did.
These greater works would be a result of prayer and supplication in the name of Jesus - “ask…and I will’ or as Jesus says: “And whatever you may ask in My name, that I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. (14) If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. “
So we are to ask the Father, in the name of Jesus, to do mighty works, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. Now lets tie this in with the way Jesus did mighty works - through words of power and words of command sourced in God who dwelt in Him. We are to ask the Father - and He will give us a word to speak that will heal the sick, raise the dead or change the situation! God will empower us to glorify the Son through use of the rhema word of power. The most common such situation is rebuking Satan and casting out demons. We enter into the situation in the name of Jesus, we speak a word given to us by God, and the demon leaves. This word may almost be a formula such as “Come out of him in the name of Jesus” or involve some insight “spirit of bitterness, leave him now”. By using words of commands I have many times seen real physical healings - whereas prior to using words of command I saw no healings at all.
Before you write this off as rabid Pentecostalism - try it. Ask God to give you a word for a situation just as He gave them to Jesus and the apostles “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk” and so on.
Paul even used a word of power when confronting the sorcerer Elyamas:
Acts 13:9-11 ASV But Saul, who is also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, fastened his eyes on him, (10) and said, O full of all guile and all villany, thou son of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? (11) And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand.
And Ananias did a similar thing when healing Paul - laying on his hands and speaking the words God had given him for that situation:
Acts 9:17-18 ASV And Ananias departed, and entered into the house; and laying his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, who appeared unto thee in the way which thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mayest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Spirit. (18) And straightway there fell from his eyes as it were scales, and he received his sight; and he arose and was baptized;
If we are to fulfill Jesus’ expectation that we would do great works, it makes sense that we would do those mighty works the same way He did them - by speaking words from the Father. So when you come to an “impossible situation”. Ask Jesus about it, and also ask Him for a word that will change that situation - such as “Lazarus, come forth”. (Let me quickly add these are not magical incantations but rather are God’s words for that particular situation.) Speak what God wants spoken. This is a learned skill, and it feels very risky, and I am still learning it, but it does work. Really, when it comes to miracles we have no choice, we cannot work them with computers! We only have words, words from God, uttered in faith, and all done in the name of Jesus.
Blessings in Jesus,
John Edmiston
