This Sunday, we will observe the Day of Pentecost. The lectionary invites us to ponder John 14:8-17, (25-27). In the English Standard Version, those verses fall within sections titled: “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (1-14), and “Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit” (15-31).
As I said in an earlier post, chapter 14 lies within Jesus’ farewell speech to his disciples, which he gave on the day before he was crucified and died.
It was evening. Jesus washed his disciples feet. Had supper with them. Sent Judas out to betray him. Began walking to the Garden of Gethsemane. Continued speaking with the men whom he’d trained for about three years.
What had he trained them to do? What did he want them to accomplish? Listen to verse 12:
“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.”
Why did he say that everyone who believes in him will do greater works than he had done?
What works had Jesus done? The answer lies mainly in the gospels according to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. These tell us that Jesus:
- Did miracles like turning water into wine [1] and feeding thousands of people with just a handful of bread and fish. [2]
- Did miracles of healing people, like restoring Peter’s feverish, bed-ridden mother-in-law to active service. [3]
- Did acts of raising from the dead people like the daughter of Jairus; [4] the son of the widow of Nain; [5] and Lazarus. [6]
- Did thousands of exorcisms, acts of casting out evil spirits.
- Did nature interventions like ordering a storm to stop. [7]
- Engaged in debates with religious leaders, to interpret the scriptures correctly, as in the Sermon on the Mount. [8]
What did others do which Jesus didn’t do?
A comparison with Herod the Great gives us a quick list.
Jesus didn’t build huge construction projects, like Herod did. Jesus didn’t feed people during a famine, like Herod did. Jesus didn’t end banditry, like Herod did. I discussed these in one of the most popular posts on our website. It’s titled “Just How Bad was Herod the Great?”
In the twenty centuries since Jesus was crucified, people who became his disciples have done way more than he did during his personal, sandals-on-the-dusty-roads, ministry of about three years.
Jesus’ disciples have relieved so much suffering. For example, in India alone, dozens of hospitals have served tens of millions of people over the decades and continue to do so. Huge strides have been made in preventing sickness and early deaths. [9]
Jesus’ disciples have eliminated “legal slavery,” mainly through the work we associate with William Wilberforce and his collaborators in England – including John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Church. [10]
Jesus’ disciples have established legal and democratic systems, through the influence of books like Lex Rex: The Law and the Prince, written by Samuel Rutherford, a Scottish pastor. [11] It was so revolutionary that it was publicly burned in several British cities.
Jesus’ disciples have established schools and orphanages. [12] These raised up people who carried out works in the arenas of healing, justice, and politics, works like the ones I just outlined. Of course, there’s much more: like creating writing systems, sign-languages, dictionaries.
That’s how Jesus’ disciples have done “greater works” than Jesus. They did these greater works not for self-preservation and self-glorification, like Herod the Great. They did them because of their commitment to two Christian teachings: the dignity of man and love of neighbour.
Teaching about the dignity of man is rooted in the belief that man is made in the image of God. This means everyone is precious and equal. This means we say “no!” to public policies based on ideas like “kill or let die those who are weak or disabled.” [13]
Teaching about love of neighbour is rooted in the example of Jesus, who laid down his life for others, and who taught us to direct all men to him; and to love them like he loves us. I touched on this last week, in my post titled “Mysticism and Politics: Dwelling with God through Jesus’ Prayer.”
You’ve seen that I’ve focused on the second part of verse 12, the part about greater works. I’ve done so because I think we’re so captivated by short-term results, that we neglect long-term goals. We need to be reminded.
Now, I’ll touch on the first part, the part in which Jesus says we will do the works which he did: especially miracles and casting out of demons. I think we are indeed called to do such works. But with discernment.
We must not automatically assume that every sick person is to be healed, or that the cause of many problems is demon possession. At the pool of Siloam, there were many sick persons. Jesus healed only one of them.
Martin Luther wrote lots of letters. In them, he described his ailments. These included bladder stones, chronic constipation, haemorrhoids, and ear infections; he also had seizures which he said were spiritual attacks. [14]
Because of their fame, we know the causes of death of various Popes.
Pope Francis had a severe respiratory tract infection; it caused first his lungs, then his heart, to fail. He also suffered from arthritis.
Pope John Paul II had a urinary tract infection; it overwhelmed his heart and kidneys. He also suffered from Parkinson’s disease and arthritis.
All of us can speak of cases where we’ve prayed fervently for healing, even laying on hands and anointing with oil, but God had other plans. Some of us, me included, can speak of personally receiving instantaneous, miraculous healing. [15]
Over the last 160 years, millions of people have gone to a Catholic sanctuary called “Our Lady of Lourdes,” in France. Over this period, the church, after conducting thorough investigations, has recorded only 72 miraculous healings. Strikingly, the last certified cure there was in 1976. [16]
This Pentecost, this celebration of God pouring out his Spirit upon us, let’s do this. Let’s believe that we’ve been commissioned and equipped to do greater works than Jesus did. [17] Whether we act on that belief is up to us.
Peace be with you.
[2] John 6: 1-15; Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:10-17.
[9] Consider for example, the Christian Medical Association of India: https://www.cmai.org/.
[10] See for example, John Campbell’s “Wesley, Wilberforce and the battle against slavery,” in the Methodist Church Resource Hub: https://www.methodist.org.uk/for-churches/resources/articles/wesley-wilberforce-and-the-battle-against-slavery/.
[11] Doug Wilson at Christ Over All has provided a good introduction to Samuel Rutherford and Lex Rex. You can read it here: https://christoverall.com/article/concise/an-introduction-to-lex-rex/.
[12] Just consider the numerous Anglican, Catholic, and Methodist schools in Malaysia.
[13] Bill Fullilove of the Washington Institute for Faith, Vocation and Culture, has an insightful piece titled “The Image of God: The Base Layer of Human Dignity.” You can read it here: https://washingtoninst.org/the-image-of-god-the-base-layer-of-human-dignity/.
[14] See H Feldmann, “Martin Luther’s seizure disorder” in PubMed, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2529669/#:~:text=Abstract,following%20years%20in%20varying%20intensity.
[15] For two weeks, I had crippling back-pain. I saw many doctors. I walked with a stick. One doctor, after reviewing my history, my X-rays, and an MRI, said I was faking the symptoms. But I received a word – from a non-Christian – that I was facing spiritual oppression. After weighing what she (my mother) said, I discerned that she was right. I prayed for release. I was instantly released. I actually, physically, jumped for joy.
[16] Bernard Francois and others, “The Lourdes Medical Cures Revisited,” Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences, July 27, 2012. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3854941/#:~:text=The%20lead%20author%20extracted%20from,and%20eighty%2Dfive%2C%20respectively.
[17] This is intimately connected with the Kingdom of God which Jesus proclaimed, and which he, in what we call The Lord’s Prayer, taught us to long for. Christianity.com has a nice introduction to it, titled “What Is the Kingdom of God? Understanding Its Meaning.” You can read it here: https://www.christianity.com/wiki/god/what-is-the-kingdom-of-god-understanding-it-s-meaning.html.
To learn more about Rama, click here.
Pingback: Ascesis and the Spirit: Let the chisel perform its office – Bangsar Lutheran Church