Multiplying Miracles: Thoughts on John 14:12

John 14:12 "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."

This passage has always been one that has led me to respond, "Really Lord? You can't be serious." But I think Jesus is serious here. Jesus was fully human and fully divine, yet he was still only one man whose earthly ministry lasted less than four years. Yet he has blessed many of us with long life and a clear ministry that can last decades. Not only that, but we can pass our ministries and missions on to the next generation, steadily growing a vast army of workers to do God's will on earth. Time and communal effort multiply miracles.

Isn't it interesting that Jesus says we will do greater things because he is going to the Father, not despite it? I think Jesus needed to go to the Father instead of remaining on earth to give us space and underscore the reality that we need to take full responsibility for every aspect of our lives in him. This is a tough one for all of us. There always seems to be at least a corner of our hearts that we shield from him, keeping it in the dark, away from his blinding light (or so we think). But of course Jesus has all the time in the world and infinite patience. It is we who are slow to learn (see 2 Peter 3:9).

I think it's also interesting that this passage is a response to a request for Jesus to show his apostles the Father. I can just see the look on his face when they made this request - incredulity. "Are you kidding me?" seems to be the subtext of Jesus' response. Unlike us, Jesus reflects the Father perfectly. Yet I'm just as guilty as Philip on this front. I stand here, despite his continued presence, patience, and grace, and have the audacity to ask to see the Father. Yet in the midst of his admonishment, Jesus makes the above outlandish promise. Do we have audacity in our faith that is equal to our audacity we show in our disbelief? If so, according to Jesus himself, we will actually do greater things than he did while on earth. Amazing.

God's Will?

I just found this study on the Internet...be careful when citing God's will as your reason for doing anything...it turns out that's a pretty malleable concept...

Creating God In One’s Own Image For many religious people, the popular question “What would Jesus do?” is essentially the same as “What would I do?” Through a combination of surveys, psychological manipulation and brain-scanning, researchers found that when religious Americans try to infer the will of God they mainly draw on their own personal beliefs. They use their own beliefs as a starting point, which colors their final conclusions about what God wants.
Researchers even manipulated people to change their views on God by getting them to read a speech that either supported or went against their (and God’s) stated position. The task shifted people’s attitudes towards the position in their speech, either strengthening or moderating their original views, and altering their estimation about what God’s attitude was.
People may use religious agents as a moral compass, forming impressions and making decisions based on what they presume God as the ultimate moral authority would believe or want. The central feature of a compass, however, is that it points north no matter what direction a person is facing. This research suggests that, unlike an actual compass, inferences about God’s beliefs may instead point people further in whatever direction they are already facing. If the first link is too academic, here’s another link to an article about the research.

In and Out

Language is so interesting. What we call "expressions" do just that - they express deeper or underlying truths about how we understand or relate to reality. Think about the way we use the word "out" in various expressions. We work things out, act out, give out (good or bad vibes), make out, hug it out, bring things out (into the open), we go out, figure it out, people are regularly "outed". These expressions usually relate to the release or revelation of a secret or energy, or of resolution of a dissonance.

Of course, the opposite word, "in", has just as many related expressions. We are hemmed in, boxed in, shut in, the walls close in, our guts are sucked in. These expressions usually relate to invisible things - thoughts, feelings, fears, emotions, judgements, motivations. The underlying idea here is that there is something "in" that is begging to come "out". Something hidden that is revealed. I think we try to hide things from ourselves, and from God. But whether consciously or unconsciously, fun or painful, all things come out, all things are revealed.

Jesus even talked about this in Mark 4:22, "For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open." So often this world reflects truths into our lives on a small scale that are true on a large scale. I believe that's how God constructed our world - to be a reflection of and point back to Himself. So if that's true, it's quite a realization-that there's no such thing as a secret, and we can only deceive ourselves for a short period of time before the truth comes "out".

What secrets are you keeping from others in your life (not just "bad" things, but what glorious things are you keeping in)? What secrets are you keeping from yourself? What things are you keeping in that are dying to get out? What would you be risking by letting them out?