| Christian Life and Doctrine | November 1967 |
The “Greater Works”
LIFE is sweet, life is dear—it is the greatest gift of God. Without life, nothing can be experienced; nothing can be enjoyed; nothing can be known; nothing can be hoped for: “For there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave.” (Eccl. 9:10) For this reason mankind clings to life very tenaciously.
A man will spend his every treasure and whatever he can borrow, to regain his lost health and to prolong his life to the pitiful utmost. Let there be a rumor that cures have taken place at some remote shrine, and thousands of stricken people will journey there, regardless of the cost to themselves of money and pain. People will travel, literally around the world, on the slim chance that their ailments might be healed and a few more days of life enjoyed. The announcement that a new drug is successful against a disease instantly brings tens of thousands of frantic requests for the medicine. Man seems instinctively to realize that he was designed to live forever; and he protests and struggles against any termination of that life.
And human nature was the same in Jesus’ day, although the situation then was much more hopeless than now. Today, modern techniques of medicine and surgery have controlled many diseases. Large research facilities have been set up. Clinics and hospitals are widely available, and new cures and wonder drugs are found almost daily. But in Jesus’ day medical knowledge was primitive and comparatively ineffective. Sanitation was poor. There were no diagnostic and treatment centers, and some serious diseases were handled by such desperate measures as heartlessly banishing the sufferers into desert or wilderness areas so that others might not be contaminated. It is reasonable to suppose that the proportion of sick, and suffering, and crippled, and blind was much greater in those days than in civilized countries today.
Past Miracles
Under these conditions the Jews, who had the Scriptures read to them regularly every Sabbath day, would probably think with longing on some events in their past history. The sick ones might think of the time the fiery serpents bit the children of Israel so that many sickened and died, and they might recall that under the Lord’s direction Moses had made a brazen serpent and raised it up upon a pole, so that any who were bitten and who looked upon the brazen serpent were healed. (Num. 21:8,9) “What a wonderful arrangement that was!” they would say. “We too have been bitten by sin, and disease, and death. How wonderful it would be if only someone like Moses, or greater than Moses, would appear, and we could just look to him and be healed!”
And there were many lepers in Jesus’ day. Those having this dreadful disease might well remember and say: “Elisha, the prophet of the Lord, healed the leprosy of Naaman, the Syrian. (II Kings 5:10-27) Would that another such prophet of the Lord might come and heal us of our leprosy!”
The poor and needy, those suffering from malnutrition and starvation would remember the manna of the wilderness journey. They would also remember how Elisha caused the widow’s oil to increase and never fail (II Kings 4:2-7), and how he made twenty pieces of bread feed a hundred men, with some bread left over. (II Kings 4:42-44) “Oh Lord, send us bread, too,” they would pray.
And then there were those who had lost loved ones in death—the cruelest blow of all. These could recall how, when the widow’s son had died, Elijah had restored him to life: “And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in thy mouth is truth.” (I Kings 17:17-24) Yes, the mourners in Jesus’ day would also be able to recognize a prophet from God, and listen to him, and believe him; that is, if one would only come, healing the sick, feeding the multitude, and raising the dead, as those prophets of old had done.
And the afflicted ones in Israel would probably remember some of God’s promises, too. The psalmist had sung: “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; who redeemeth thy life from destruction [or death].” (Ps. 103:2-4) Isaiah had spoken of a time when “the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick.” (Isa. 33:24) And then, he had joyfully announced a message from God, saying, “He will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing.” (Isa. 35:4-6) And Malachi had spoken of a symbolic “Sun of righteousness … with healing in his wings.”—Mal. 4:2
These were the things the Israelites in Jesus’ day looked for, longed for, hungered and thirsted for. There was no telegraph or telephone in those days, and no daily newspapers—not even a regular mail service, since not many knew how to read or write. But word began to spread. Rumors started to fly that a new prophet had arisen in Israel, One who could heal all manner of diseases, even leprosy. The reports said: “He casts out demons! He just tells them to leave, and they do!”
Many Doubted
At first there was disbelief. There had been false prophets before. Some would advise moderation, for probably there was nothing to it. Then the next caravan would bring more news: “He is a young man, named Jesus, from Nazareth. He has cast out a legion of demons. They entered a herd of swine and went over a cliff. By a touch of his hand the blind receive their sight—even one born blind, without eyeballs, can now see!”
There was still some disbelief—this was just too good to be true! Then came the news that the dead son of a widow at Nain had actually been restored to life by this wonderful young man, and that he had miraculously fed, not a hundred as Elisha had done in the days of old, but five thousand persons!
That was all they needed to know. Here was a young man of God who would not only heal their diseases, but if they ran out of money would feed them as well. So we read in Luke 4:14: “There went out a fame of him through all the region round about.” So thousands upon thousands of people left their homes and businesses and converged upon the place where Jesus was—the sick, the lame, the blind, the deaf and dumb, and those with mental afflictions. The able-bodied ones carried the disabled ones. Those with sight led the blind. All had one purpose—to find this man Jesus and be healed of their diseases.
They Came to Jesus
It was the most natural thing in the world that they should do this. It was what Jesus wanted them to do. He wanted them to come to him. It was ordained that he should be identified in just this manner—by his miracles of healing—and thus draw men to him. As we read in Matthew 11:2-5: “Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, and said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and show John again those things which ye do hear and see: the blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached unto them.” Jesus knew that John the Baptist was familiar with the old prophecies. He would recognize their fulfillment. He would know, from the works of Jesus, that Jesus was indeed the Messiah.
Now just picture the situation! Suppose it was announced today by reputable eyewitnesses that there was a man lecturing publicly who could heal every disease, regardless of how advanced—including cancer and insanity and every degree of blindness—who could instantly repair the damage to any organ or limb, and even bring back to life any who had died, even four days before. What would happen? Why, there would be the greatest traffic jam in history! Just about everyone would want to see him and hear him. Although many would come out of curiosity, most would come in desperate earnestness, to be healed of their afflictions.
Human nature was the same in Jesus’ day; and the proportion of afflicted ones was much greater. So they came, by thousands and thousands, most of them on foot. Many of them were poor, ill-clothed. They were dusty, hungry, sick, or caring for the sick, weary from their journey, homesick in strange surroundings, scattered from their homes. And Jesus’ heart went out to them. We read in Matthew 9:36, “When he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted and were scattered abroad.”
Scope of Jesus’ Ministry
Many of us do not realize the tremendous scope of Jesus’ healing activities. Some have the impression that he healed only a few people, as a sort of illustration of what would eventually be done in his millennial kingdom. But the fact is that he translated his loving compassion into great action. We read in Mark 3:8, “And from Jerusalem, and from Idumaea, and from beyond Jordan; and they about Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they had heard what great things he did, came unto him.” Luke 6:17 and 19 reads, “A great multitude of people out of all Judaea and Jerusalem, and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, … came to hear Him, and to be healed of their diseases.” “And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue [power] out of him, and healed them all.”
“A great multitude” is a lot of people, and he healed them all—not just one or two here and there, but all. We also read in Matthew 9:35 and 36 that “Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the Gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.” This covers a large territory, and involves many people. Also, in Luke 4:40 and 42 “Now when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with diverse diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them.” “And when it was day, he departed.” Note that he seems to have started his healing when the sun was setting and did not finish until daylight. It took him all night, but he healed “every one of them.”
And how else could it possibly be? Could Jesus, with his loving and compassionate heart, turn to his disciples and say, “That is enough, I will heal no more today. Maybe some other time I will heal more”? Oh no, because in that great multitude there would be those who had traveled long distances to find him, and had perhaps already waited for days for their turn to see him. There were some who had reached the limit of their physical endurance and were faint. And those with the most serious cases of illness would find it the most difficult to approach him. In their desperation to be healed, the somewhat stronger would push aside the weaker, literally treading upon them, so that those who needed healing most would be left to the last. But Jesus stayed to the last and healed “every one of them,” even though it took all night. Thus we read in Matthew 8:16 and 17 that he “healed all that were sick: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.” And Hebrews 4:15 says that he was “touched with the feeling of our infirmities.”
The Cost to Jesus
“Himself took our infirmities.” What does this mean? It means that Jesus’ healing ministry cost him something. Isaiah 53:4 reads, “Surely he hath borne our grief’s, and carried our sorrows: … he was wounded [tormented] for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: … with his stripes we are healed.” The reference here is not alone to his painful death on the cross as a ransom—it includes far more than that. His heart ached for every unfortunate person he saw. He was moved with compassion. When he saw someone in pain, he sympathetically felt that pain. When he saw heartbreaking sorrow over the death of a loved one, he wept. He daily bore their griefs and carried their sorrows. His heart was wounded and bruised by the things he saw—the hopelessness, degradation, and despair of the people, under their bondage to Satan.
All this was a drain on Jesus’ nervous energy; and when he healed them, he suffered a further loss: “For there went virtue out of him, and healed them all.” (Luke 6:19) This is revealed by an incident recorded in the fifth chapter of Mark. A certain woman had been afflicted by a wasting disease for twelve long years. During this time she had sought help from the physicians and had suffered many things at their hands, but with absolutely no relief. Going from one doctor to another, she had spent everything she had, but instead of getting better, she had grown worse. Then she had heard of this wonderful young man named Jesus, who was able to heal every disease. And, weak as she was, she sought him out. But when she found Jesus, the crowd around him was so great she could not get the Master’s attention.
Important things were going on just then. One of the rulers of the synagogue had asked Jesus to heal his dying daughter. Jesus had consented, and a great crowd was accompanying him to the ruler’s house to see a miracle. So the poor woman knew it would be impossible for her to push her way through that crowd in order to face Jesus and present her petition to him. After all, who was she to claim his attention ahead of a ruler of the synagogue? Then, in her humility, she reasoned, Why should I even take his time to speak to him? He has such a super-abundance of power that if I may only reach out and touch his clothes I shall be whole. He won’t miss it. He won’t even have to know about it. So she joined the multitude.
And, as the crowd pressed to the front and sides of Jesus, to catch his every word, the woman slipped up behind him. Reaching out, she managed to touch his garment, and at once she knew that she had been healed. We read the rest from the record in Mark 5:30-34: “And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.” Yes, Jesus had instantly felt virtue, or power, go out of him, and we can presume that this occurred every time he healed anyone.
Multitudes Blessed
Now let us get the full implication of this. Thousands upon thousands, a very great multitude from all parts of the country, gathered to see and hear him, bringing all their sick with them. Luke wrote (6:19), “And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of him, and healed them all.” If one woman, touching the hem of his garment, caused a loss of vitality that he could feel, what would the touch of a great multitude do to him? Of course Jesus was a perfect man, with an extraordinary store of natural vitality and unusual recuperative powers, but we can reasonably conclude that each incident of healing and teaching the multitude left him tired and exhausted physically. He was, after all, human. And when we consider the vast multitude he contacted during his ministry we realize that his three and one-half years of experience along this line far exceeded a lifetime of ordinary human experience.
Now let us recapitulate for a moment. Jesus had come to offer himself as a ransom for all. But he also came to preach the truth of God’s kingdom to Israel—to give natural Israel an opportunity to become spiritual Israel. One of his last statements on earth was, as we read in John 18:37, “To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Everyone that is of the truth heareth my voice.”
“Everyone that is of the truth.” This meant that he had to give the opportunity to all Israel to hear his voice, or message. And he was only one man, with a few unlearned disciples. There was no radio or television, no microphones, no power amplifiers, no tape recorders, no printing presses, no tracts or magazines. And his time was very short, too—only three and one-half years in which to perform a great task. So what did he do?
When Jesus told his disciples that he would make them “fishers of men” (Matt. 4:19), he revealed to them his method. As a fisherman offers the fish a bait, he would offer the people something they wanted very much, and they would come to him. Then he would preach to them the Gospel of the kingdom, the good news, that they could become the spiritual seed of Abraham, a nation of kings and priests, that they could be used to bless all the families of the earth. To attract them, and to establish his messiahship, he gave them a rich foretaste of the blessings which would eventually come to all the families of the earth during his millennial kingdom, when life would be given more abundantly, when there would be no more sickness and pain, when all tears would be wiped away, when there would be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying.—Rev. 21:4
The Seventy Sent Forth
This is confirmed by Luke 10:9. Near the close of his ministry Jesus was commissioning seventy disciples to perform a harvest work, or gleaning work, after him, to go to every city and place, and preach the Gospel, so that no one might be overlooked. He gave these seventy disciples miraculous powers in order to attract the people to them. And he told them that when they entered a city they should “heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.” In other words, “You have tasted in advance of the blessings of God’s kingdom to come. This is but an example of what the kingdom of God will eventually do on a vast and worldwide scale.” So Jesus’ miracles, especially his healings, identified him as the Messiah. “And the common people heard him gladly.” (Mark 12:37) For a while he was the most popular person in the land. On one occasion five thousand men banded together, and “when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.” (John 6:14) And they planned to take him and make him a king.
Soon the time came when Jesus had taught his disciples everything their fleshly minds could absorb. They must now wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit to enlighten them further, to lift them to a higher plane of understanding. So, on one of his last days on earth, Jesus gathered his disciples about him and said, “I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when the spirit of truth is come, he [it] will guide you into all truth.” (John 16:12,13) For three and one-half years they had witnessed his mighty works of healing and his other breathtaking miracles. They themselves had been empowered to perform some miracles, in the name of Jesus. So they were thoroughly persuaded that Jesus was indeed the Messiah sent from God.
Greater Works
It was on the occasion of this same gathering that Jesus said to them, “Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake.” Then he made a surprising statement, which has mystified and frustrated Christians for centuries. He said, “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.” (John 14:11,12) Greater works than these? What an astounding thought!
What could be greater, for example, than raising the dead—to defy the cruel finality of death, as Jesus did; or to tell the mourners to stop their lamentations; or to tell a heartbroken mother to refrain her voice from weeping, and her eyes from tears (Jer. 31:16); or to take the cold hand of a dead child and say, “Arise,” and feel the pulse leap beneath your fingers, and see the warm flush of life flood the white cheeks, and see the eyes open and look about, with wonder, at the strange gathering, and see the mother’s tears of hopeless sorrow turn to tears of joy as she clasps her darling in her arms? Could there be greater works than this?
Could anything be greater than to have all the sick of the entire countryside assemble before you, afflicted by every conceivable disease and infirmity, and to take them, one after another, and heal every one of them? To cause the blind to see, the deaf to hear, the dumb to speak, the lame to leap and run—could there be greater works than these? Could there be greater works than to change water into wine, to feed five thousand persons with five loaves and two fishes, to walk on water, to still a mighty storm?
Yes, greater works than these have been performed, and will be performed, by the followers of the Master. And we do not refer to the tent meetings of so-called healing evangelists, where, from among the thousands that come, only a pitiful handful ever claim to have been helped. Nor do we refer to the shrines and grottos, where the purported healings are even less frequent.
Have you ever seen anyone rise from the dead? We all have, and it is a most awe-inspiring sight. We have seen men, dead in trespasses and sins, become quickened, and rise up, and walk, joyfully, in newness of life. (Eph. 2:1-5) Is not this a greater work? Those whom Jesus raised up died again, in due course; but these, by faith, have life eternal, destined for glory, honor, and immortality. Jesus performed miracles by the authority of the Father. His were the Father’s works, in which he co-operated. The same is true in connection with the “greater works” which we perform. Jesus had first to die and ascend to the Father, before “the new and living way” could be opened and the greater works performed.
Blindness of Mind
There is no greater blindness than that of the mind, blinded by Satan, blind to God’s mercy and loving-kindness, blind to God’s plan of the ages—spiritual blindness, gross darkness. We have all been blind, but now we can see, really see! The blind ones healed by Jesus were able to see the things of earth for a few years, and it was a wonderful thing, but how much greater the opening of the eyes of the understanding, to have the glorious Gospel of Christ, which we minister, shine into the mind, enabling it to see the heavenly light, to appreciate the beauties, colorations, and marvels of all the facets of the divine plan. This is indeed a greater work!
Ministering the Gospel to the “hearing ear” for the truth, leading to consecration and the development of the new creature, is a greater work than the curing of literal deafness. Jesus said, ‘Blessed are … your ears, for they hear.”—Matt. 13:16
The freeing of the tongue, to speak and sing forth the praises of God, the healing of lameness of character, the stopping of the wavering palsy of indecision—these are “greater works,” leading to eternal benefits.
The casting out of the frightful devils of false doctrine, superstition, fear, cleansing the mind of legions of evil thoughts and impulses, to make it meet for the Master’s use forever—this is a greater work.
The healing, through the truth, of those being tormented by the fevers of worldly ambition, or pride, or discontent, releasing them from the burdensome anxieties and cares of this life, is a greater work. Just as Peter’s wife’s mother, healed of her fever by Jesus, arose and ministered unto the Master and those with him, (Matt. 8:15), so these, healed from their feverish lust for riches, and consuming ambition, and pride of life, joyfully minister, serving the Lord and his brethren. Then there is the healing of the loathsome leprosy of sin, bringing about the blessed state of justification, transforming the unclean outcast into a child of God. How much greater this is than the extending of human life for a few brief years!—II Cor. 5:20
Changing water into wine? Yes, greater works than this, too! It is taking the clear water of truth and using it to produce the most excellent wine—the wine of participation and communion in the shed blood of Jesus Christ, and the wine of joy, which, at his invitation, we drink with him in the kingdom, at a wedding feast far grander than that at Cana.
The Bread of Life
Have you seen a multitude of 5,000 fed, and filled, with only five barley loaves and two small fishes, which the Lord had blessed? You have seen a far greater work than that! With very modest resources, aptly comparable to only five loaves and two fishes, but richly blessed by the Lord, the “Frank and Ernest” broadcasts and The Bible Answers telecasts reach millions of spiritually poor and hungry souls, satisfying them with hearty, substantial, nourishing, spiritual food, enabling many to participate in that bread of life to life eternal. You will remember that one of the identifying “works” Jesus cited for John the Baptist was, “The poor have the Gospel preached to them.” This was done only in the Land of Israel. The worldwide broadcasts of the truth are a vastly greater work! And the “poor in spirit,” wherever they may be, may freely listen!
Have you seen anyone rebuke a mighty storm and create a great calm? Is it possible to perform a greater work than that? Yes, it is! Remember, there were that day only a few disciples on the ship who were saved from the storm which Satan had brewed. On the other hand, how many thousands of the Lord’s people have been caught in Satan’s storms of circumstances and have cried, “Master, Master, we perish!” and have heard the Master’s “Peace, be still,” and have experienced that blessed calmness of mind which comes from a renewed faith that “all things work together for good.” And, as Jesus walked upon the stormy sea, the Christian serenely walks the way he has chosen in a world gone mad, rising above the restless and turbulent conditions of this present evil world. And the faith of Jesus’ followers today is stronger than was Peter’s, who, in attempting to follow Jesus upon the water, sank in panic, and cried, “Lord, save me!” This, too, is a greater work!
Co-operation
But in what way do we personally have part in these “greater works”? This is important, because Jesus said that those who “believe in him” would do the greater works. First, and most important, we individually participate in these “greater works” in the sense that they are done in us—with our co-operation and invitation. We have, as Paul expresses it in Romans 6:19, “yielded ourselves as servants, to righteousness and holiness.”
Each consecrated and accepted follower of the Master has been raised from dead works to newness of life. And what an exhilarating experience it has been! Just as Lazarus, hearing the voice of Jesus say, “Come forth,” rose up and left the tomb, we, too, have responded and “passed from death unto life.” And the eyes of each one of us have been opened to see the deep things of God. But first it was necessary for us to realize our blindness and earnestly desire to see. There was once a poor blind beggar on the Jericho road who persistently cried out, “Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me!” (Mark 10:46) And when Jesus stopped and asked him, “What wilt thou that I should do unto thee?” he eagerly responded, “Lord, that I might receive my sight.” He knew what he wanted.
So, too, we must co-operate and yield ourselves. Take, for example, the incident when Jesus, passing by, saw a man who had been born blind. He made clay with his saliva, “and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay.” (John 9:1-25) Then Jesus told him to go to a certain pool of water and wash off the clay. And when the man did so, he received his sight. Jesus could have healed him just as easily without this procedure, but he gave the man an opportunity to co-operate, to yield himself. Blind as he was, he had to travel a certain distance to the pool. It tested his sincerity and his faith. A skeptical man would have said, “What nonsense is this? Will mud cure the blindness I have had from birth?” But this man did as he was told, and when the splendor of light and sight burst upon his new eyes, he was able to say the words from which a grand old hymn has been composed, “One thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see!”
But there was an even deeper significance to this peculiar method our Lord used to heal the blind man, illustrating our part in the “greater works.” The secretion of his mouth represented the spirit of the Lord’s lips, his grace and truth; and the soil with which he mixed it represented the poor, earthly talents of the Lord’s people, engaged in telling forth the truth as they have opportunity; and this combination has been most effectual in opening the eyes of understanding of those whom the Lord has called.
And so, by earnestly desiring these “greater works” to be done in us, and by yielding ourselves to their accomplishment in ourselves, and by co-operating with the Lord and our brethren in Christ to apply these works to other called-out ones, we fulfill in part the prophecy, “Greater works than these shall ye do.”
Feeble Efforts Blessed
By our efforts and co-operation, feeble but blessed by the Lord, other ears, too, are unstopped to the truth; the lameness of character in others, as well as in ourselves, is overcome; the spiritual palsy, and fever, and leprosy, are healed; and the minds, obsessed and sick with doctrines of devils, are made clean and lucid. And one of the grandest of the “greater works” in which we have a part is the modern feeding of the multitude. John’s account of the original incident in John 6:9 relates how Jesus was told, “There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?” Jesus, however, did not despise the meagerness of the supply. The record says he took it, and gave thanks. And how delighted that young boy must have been to see his small offering feed 5,000 persons, with twelve full baskets left over. He probably went home and told his parents and friends, and then talked about it for the rest of his life.
We, like that lad, can and do participate in a work which, for a given investment of money and time, reaches more people than any other method could do. This is the radio and television work. Of course, no one individual does all of these “greater works.” But as members of the body of Christ we all share in whatever is accomplished by the whole body. As Paul wrote in I Corinthians 12:21,22, “And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.” We read the next verse from the Diaglott: “But much more necessary are those members of the body which are thought to be more feeble.” Isn’t that encouraging? We can all take heart from that verse! This means that our humble and feeble efforts, which we think are so futile and so ineffective, are noted by the Lord, and we are reckoned as having a real part in the complete works of the entire body, including the Head, Christ Jesus! We continue with the 29th and 30th verses: “Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles? Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?” The answer, obviously, is “No.” But we are, each one of us, regardless of our position in the body, considered by God as participating in the works of the whole body.
Future Application
There is another important application of Jesus’ words concerning the “greater works” to be done, and it is a wonderful and delightful prospect! We are assured that if we are faithful unto death we shall “live and reign with him [Christ] a thousand years.” (Rev. 20:6) And the work of that millennial kingdom is a work of restitution. We will be the administrative agents of Christ in the performance of that work. At his first advent Jesus, by his wonderful works, gave the people a fore-taste of that work, and it will be our grand privilege to bring about its complete fulfillment. Instead of a few persons, temporarily raised, all the dead will be resurrected and, if obedient, will live forever. Under our administration all the sick will be healed, and every physical disability will be eliminated.
And the people will remain well. Satan and his angels, with their evil influences, will be removed from the scene, to obsess human minds no more. Instead of 5,000, the entire world of mankind—all who have ever lived—will be supplied abundantly with the bread of life, and, as back there Jesus gave the bread into the hands of his disciples to distribute to the hungry multitude, it will then be through us that the merit of Jesus’ ransom sacrifice will be applied, and “the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” (Isa. 11:9) Then will be completely fulfilled the prophecy, “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.”