John 14:12

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. VERILY, VERILY, I SAY UNTO YOU, HE THAT BELIEVETH ON ME, THE WORKS THAT I DO SHALL HE DO ALSO; AND GREATER VERILY, VERILY, I SAY UNTO YOU, HE THAT BELIEVETH ON ME, THE WORKS THAT I DO SHALL HE DO ALSO; AND GREATER WORKS THAN THESE SHALL HE DO; BECAUSE I GO UNTO MY FATHER - rather, 'the Father,' as the true reading appears to be. "The works that I do" and which they "should do also," were those miraculous credentials of their apostolic office which Christ empowered the Eleven to perform. But the "greater works than His" were not anymore transcendent miracles-for there could be none such and certainly they did none such-but such as He referred to in what He said to Nathanael ...

12._Verily, verily, I, tell you. _All that he had hitherto told his disciples about himself, so far as it regarded them, was temporal; and, therefore, if he had not added this clause, the consolation would not have been complete; particularly since our memory is so short, when we are called to consider the gifts of God. On this subject it is unnecessary to go to others for examples; for, when God has loaded us with every kind of blessings, if He pause for fourteen days, we fancy that he is no longer alive. This is the reason why Christ not only mentions his present power, which the Apostles, at that time, beheld with their eyes, but promises an uninterrupted conviction of it for the future. And, indeed, not only was his Divinity attested, so long as he dwelt on the earth, but after he had gone to the Father, striking proofs of it were enjoyed by believers. But either our stupidity or our...

12-17 Whatever we ask in Christ's name, that shall be for our good, and suitable to our state, he shall give it to us. To ask in Christ's name, is to plead his merit and intercession, and to depend upon that plea. The gift of the Spirit is a fruit of Christ's mediation, bought by his merit, and received by his intercession. The word used here, signifies an advocate, counsellor, monitor, and comforter. He would abide with the disciples to the end of time; his gifts and graces would encourage their hearts. The expressions used here and elsewhere, plainly denote a person, and the office itself includes all the Divine perfections. The gift of the Holy Ghost is bestowed upon the disciples of Christ, and not on the world. This is the favour God bears to his chosen. As the source of holiness and happiness, the Holy Spirit will abide with every believer for ever....

Verse John 14:12. _AND GREATER_ WORKS _THAN THESE_] The miracles which I have wrought could not have been wrought but by the omnipotence of God; but that omnipotence can work _greater_. And those who believe on my name shall, through my almighty power, be enabled to work _greater_ miracles than those which l have ordinarily wrought. An impostor might seduce the people by false miracles; but he could not make his power and cunning pass to all those who were seduced by him: but _I_ will give you this proof of the divinity of my mission and the truth of my doctrine. Perhaps the _greater works_ refer to the immense multitudes that were brought to God by the ministry of the apostles. By the apostles was the doctrine of Christ spread far and wide; while Christ confined his ministry chiefly to the precincts of Judea. It is certainly the grea

HE THAT BELIEVETH ON ME - This promise had doubtless special reference to the apostles themselves. They were full of grief at his departure, and Jesus, in order to console them, directed them to the great honor which was to be conferred on them, and to the assurance that God would not leave them, but would attend them in their ministry with the demonstrations of his mighty power. It cannot be understood of all his followers, for the circumstances of the promise do not require us to understand it thus, and it has not been a matter of fact that All Christians have possessed power to do greater works than the Lord Jesus. It is a general promise that greater works than he performed should be done by his followers, without specifying that all his followers would be instrumental in doing them. THE WORKS THAT I DO - The miracles of healing the sick, raising the dead, etc. This was done by the a...

EXPOSITION JOHN 14:1 It is not necessary to follow Codex D and some of the versions, and here introduce into the text καὶ εἶπεν τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ._ _It is enough that the awful warning to Peter, which followed the announcement of the treachery of Judas and his departure, the solemnity of the Lord, and the clear announcement of his approaching death, had fallen like a thunderbolt into their company. Judas held the bag, and was their treasurer, their ἐπίσκοπος_ _(see Hatch's 'Bampt. Lect.'), and a referee on all practical subjects and details. He had turned against the Lord; and now their spokesman, their rock of strength, their most prominent and their boldest brother, the senior of the group, and with one exception the disciple most beloved and trusted by the Master, was actually warned against the most deadly sin—nay, more, a course o

VERILY, VERILY, I SAY UNTO YOU, HE THAT BELIEVETH ON ME,.... Having mentioned his miracles as proofs of his deity, he assures his disciples, in order to comfort them under the loss of his bodily presence, that they should do the same, and greater works; for we are not to understand these words of everyone that believes in Christ, of every private believer in him, but only of the apostles, and each of them, that were true believers in him: to whom he says, THE WORKS THAT I DO SHALL HE DO ALSO; he shall raise the dead, heal all manner of diseases, and cast out devils; things which Christ gave his apostles power to do, when he first gave them a commission to preach the Gospel, and when he renewed and enlarged it: and which they did perform, not in their own name, and by their own power, but in the name, and by the power of Christ: AND GREATER WORKS THAN THESE SHALL HE DO; meaning, not gre...

John 14:1. _Let not your heart be troubled:_ This is one of those verses that you may read as slowly as you like, and spell out every letter, and find honey in it all. John 14:1. _Ye believe in God, believe also in me._ As Jews, they had already known and seen the power of God. They were now to rise to the faith of Christians, and to believe in Jesus their Saviour. Even though they should see him die, they were not to doubt him: «Ye believe in God, believe also in me.» John 14:2. _In my Father's house are many mansions:_ So there is room for many, there are homes for many, there is wealth for many; «In my Father's house are many mansions:»...

CHAPTER 14 1. Let not Your Heart be Troubled! (John 14:1 .) 2. I Am in the Father and the Father in Me. (John 14:8 .) 3. The Other Comforter Promised. (John 14:15 .) 4. I Go unto the Father. (John 14:28 .) There is no break between these two Chapter s. The Lord continues His discourse to the eleven disciples. “Let not your heart be troubled!” What precious words of comfort! How many hearts have been soothed by them and how many tears they have dried! And after His loving words He said again: “Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” ...

John 14:1 takes up the thoughts of the previous paragraph, not of the last verse. The thoughts of separation and treachery had led to perplexity, if not despair. Jesus bids them trust God and Himself. There is plenty of room in His Father's house (_cf._ Genesis 24:23; Genesis 24:25). John 14:2_ b may_ be interpreted in three ways: (_a_) Even if not He would have found room for them. To _you_ I would have said I go to prepare a place: this suits the context, but is forced, (_b)_ If not, I would have told you, for the whole object of going is to prepare a place for you. I could not have withheld the truth from you. This also is unna