Doing Greater Things

 

⁹ Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? ¹⁰ Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. ¹¹ Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. 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. ¹³ And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son (John 14:9-13 NIV).

 

Good morning, friends. There are many things in the Bible that can be difficult to wrap your head around. This week, I am pondering Jesus’ statement that we who believe in God, the Father, will do greater things. When I was younger, my mind conjured up raising people from the dead, miraculous and instant healings, or inviting people to follow and having them drop everything to follow. With this as the list, doing greater things than Jesus seems impossible. The change in my understanding began with earlier cues in the reading.

 

In verse 10, Jesus talks about the source of his authority and what we as Christians experience when we allow God to work through us. This is evidence of God’s grace as seen through healings. If the “greater things” are not based in healings the way Jesus did them, or raising the dead what are “the greater things” are we going to do? I have some ideas about that and invite your comments in response.

 

The first “greater thing” is geographic reach. The area of Jesus’ ministry was small, geographically about 3125 miles. Paul’s estimated reach was 15,000 miles. Most places on Earth have experienced either the negative or positive reach of Christians. The second “greater thing” is the size of the body of Christ. Jesus started with 12 disciples. By the first century, Acts reports there were at least 8,000 at Pentecost. This number is disputed. 

There are reportedly 2.63 billion Christians worldwide in 2026. A third “greater thing” is the blessings that have been made possible because of God’s people. The number of people who have been fed, housed, clothed, and freed cannot be calculated. 

 

Lastly, we move beyond focusing on the evidence our physical ears and eyes can grasp to seeing our evidence as the effects of the works (verse 11). The effect of physical healing is that people are not only made whole physically but are also restored to their families and communities. The effects of the healings that occurred through Jesus’ forgiveness not only made bodies healthy but also restored the healed spiritually. We can always participate in working toward the Shalom of all with whom we come into contact. When we can’t do the hands-on work, we can provide Shalom by uniting our work and resources with those who can.

 

The conclusion is clear. We are practicing greater things. I am not saying that everything Christians or the Christian church has been positive or Godly, but I am saying that when we live as Jesus did, allowing God to work in and through us, our reach is expansive. What we give as children of God is always amplified and multiplied when we do everything, we do it to the glory of God and in the name of Jesus. So, get out there, whether in body or in spirit. Empowered and equipped by God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and united as the Body of Christ, we are unstoppable. 

Thanks be to God.

 

Beloved

1 John 4:9-10 (ESV) In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

 

 

The devotion for today is short because the scripture is so deep. I invite you to spend the next week drinking deep from this verse’s well. As we reflect, let's consider how its meaning shapes our journey today and always.

I often am sad that there will only be so much I can know about God on this side of glory. What about you? But I am comforted, and as the old hymns say, my heart is made glad because it is possible to know the love of God. The apostle John tells us that God's love has been made real, evident, and revealed in the fact that God sent Jesus. It is also encouraging to know that we live not just because of Jesus, but also through Jesus. God loves us because of who God is, and we have the evidence of God’s love for us in the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus.

If I allow it, knowing that God’s love is real and lets me live is enough. What about you? Is it enough for you? Can it be?

We are God’s own chosen beloved. Rest in that. Take joy, my friends, in that. Amen.

Being An Olive Tree

 

“But as for me, I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust [confidently] in the lovingkindness of God forever and ever.”

 

I love bible verses that refer to things in nature. King David compares himself to a green olive tree. It is interesting to note the attributes of an olive tree.

·      Longevity: Olive trees live for thousands of years. There are living olive trees today that are verified as being as old as 2,000 years.

·      Prolific: While olive trees start bearing fruit after 5 years, they can produce fruit for most of their lives. A tree in Crete is still producing fruit at the “ripe” old age of 16,000 years.

·      Indestructible: The root system regenerates even when the above-ground tree has been destroyed.

·      Drought-defying: Like eucalyptus trees, olive trees are drought-friendly.

·      Generous: Large olive trees produce 400 lbs. of lives annually. Are they age, they produce more.

·      Ancient: Edible olives have been cultivated for 6,000 years.

·      Sacred: Over the centuries the olive branch has represented peace, glory, fertility, power, and purity. The branches were offered to deities representing purification and are used in religious games. Branches were also woven into crowns for winners of games and wars. 

·      Healthy: Olives, distant relative of the peace provide antioxidants, healthy fats, and fiber.

8 amazing attributes of olive trees that will humble and inspire you. Olive My Pickle. (n.d.). 

How can/do we reflect the attributes of an olive tree when put our confidence in the lovingkindness of God?

·      Longevity: Though our bodies die, the effects of our lives, lives on (2 Cor. 6:9).

·      Prolific: The blessings that are produced when we live as vessels of the Holy Spirit are innumerable (1 Cor. 10:16).

·      Drought-defying: Jeremiah (17:7-9) tells us that trusting in God makes our roots resilient not matter what happens above the surface.

·      Generous: It is our calling to give, and our giving is multiplied by God working in and through us (2 Cor. 9:10-11).

·      Ancient: As a part of God’s creation of the heaven, earth, and all living things, God chose humans as unique and molded us out of the earth God created (Gen. 1:27).

·      Sacred: We are made holy by God’s forgiveness which cleanses us from all unrighteousness (1John 1:9).

·      Healthy: We are made healthy for others and for all of God’s creation by emptying ourselves of the things of the world and being filled with all that is God. Jesus calls this process denying oneself, taking up one’s cross, and following him (Luke 9:23).

 

Being like an olive tree is both difficult and easy, both simple and complicated. This duality is most often because of our human nature. All of these attributes are possible only when we commit ourselves to daily transformation. We use the power given to us as human beings to choose. We choose to be filled, directed, and used by God. We choose to give up the fulfillment of our needs. We choose to participate in the fulfillment of God’s needs for creation, including human beings. God sets daily, the choices between life and death, blessings and curses. God asks us to simply choose (Deut. 30:19). Happy is the one who chooses life and blessing. Happy is the world God created when we choose life and blessing. Enjoy this brief return to winter.