Summer At Sea: Week 11 Day 5

John 14:12

12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.

I remember once when my daughter said she wanted to be like me. All I thought was, you are already so much more than me! That is a relatively normal sentiment for a parent. We see our kids as stronger, faster, smarter, kinder, and more capable than we ever were. But how could Jesus say that His followers would do even greater things than He had done?!

Let’s consider the miraculous feeding of the 5,000, or the calming of the sea, or the fact that even if people touched the hem of His cloak they were healed. Jesus did miraculous things by the power of the Holy Spirit. So when Jesus returned to the Father, He sent His Spirit to us. Tomorrow you will read one example of the “greater things” that the apostles accomplished. 

There is another way to look at this: Jesus' earthly ministry was confined to a small area of Israel. That is where He taught, healed, and even raised people from the dead. But during His life, death, and resurrection, that was as far as the good news of Jesus went. Yet, after receiving the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, this group of 100 or so believers turned into 5,000 overnight, and then spread around the world. 

Jesus has entrusted His ministry of the Gospel to us. The Holy Spirit has equipped each of us uniquely and specifically according to God’s plan. How can the way you live today show that you believe this?