“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.”
(John 14:12)
Sunday, November 19, 2006
What Does This Mean?
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“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.”
(John 14:12)
6 comments:
If you go back to the Greek, i believe it refers to the signs and wonders Jesus performs.
So.. if we have faith, we will (by the power of the Holy Spirit) be able to perform miraculous signs as Jesus did, but even greater ones because the HOLY SPIRIT is coming after Jesus' ascension into heaven (see the verses after this -ie put this one in context).
My humble thoughts!
God bless
Maria in the UK
www.inhishands.co.uk
Thanks, Maria!
That's what I think too. I was wondering if I was understanding it correctly or not.
Anyone else have any thoughts?
Jennifer
The context of the passage above (as Maria has noted)is the coming of the Spirit upon Jesus's ascension. It is the manifestation of what John the Baptist anticipated with his words, "I baptize with water, but one is coming who will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."
In Acts, we see Jesus' disciples, led by the Spirit, advancing the kingdom on a larger scale than did Jesus himself. Obviously, miraculous gifts and signs were a major part of that success. So the question becomes--What does it mean to me and you? With our dispensational mindset regarding all things powerful and miraculous, the answer would be -- very little (given the traditional assumption that we live in a lull between powerful time periods).
If we see fit to challenge our inherited dispensational assumptions, then maybe new vistas of meaning could be discovered from passages such as this one.
So what you're saying, Jason, is that if we challenge what we've been taught within the churches of Christ, then maybe we could grow in such a way that we really will be able to do the things Jesus did and as He says Himself, do things greater than these?
Jennifer
The dispensational mindset to which I am referring is not unique to CofC's. It is common among many Christian tribes. Also, I would like to clarify that it is not a challenge to all things taught in CofC's. Our heritage of biblical interpretation, church structure, and worship tradition is, like all tribes, a mixture of good and bad. The challenge for us is, like it is for all Christians, is to sort through our inheritance, keeping the good and tossing the bad. To say this another way, in language germane to our Stone-Campbell heritage, restoration is an on-going process. So I would hope that my probing would be understood as my way pursuing restoration, and in so doing, betray the fact that I am CofC through and through.
I just get the impression that "we" don't honestly believe in healing others, etc. Jesus did alot of amazing things and He says we will do these same things as well as other things that are far greater. What is it that I am suppose to have the ability to do? Where do "we" draw the line when it comes to doing the acts of Jesus?
Jennifer
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