'AND GREATER WORKS THAN THESE SHALL HE DO.'
By T.
THE whole of the life of Christ was a manifestation of the true God. Men did not know the Lord as He really is. They had learned to look upon Him as cruel and tyrannical. And so Christ came into the world to manifest the Father—to show to men by every act and word of His life just what the Lord of heaven and earth really is. And since Christ was here upon earth all men seem to admit that Jesus was truly kind. Even those who do not receive Jesus as their Saviour will acknowledge that He was the embodiment of every good thing through all His life upon earth. But many even yet look upon the heavenly Father as being harsh and sometimes cruel. They think that Christ is under the necessity of exercising all His loving persuasive powers in order to keep His Father from striking men down in His wrath. But such a view is a very gross misrepresentation of the divine Father. Christ did not come into the world to manifest Himself; but to make known the character of His Father was the object of His mission to earth. "Jesus said unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known Me, Philip? He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of Myself; but the Father that dwelleth in Me, He doeth the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me; or else believe Me for the very works' sake. 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. And whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask anything in My name, I will do it." John 14:9-15. Thus do we see from the foregoing scripture that the work of Christ was simply a presentation to the world of what the Father is. The mighty miracles of Christ, His powerful life of righteousness, the gracious words that He spoke, every act of devoted love and mercy, were all to show lost and fallen mankind how much the Father in heaven loves us. As we review these mighty works of Christ in manifesting the Father to the world, we should not overlook the great promise. We are too apt to think that the mighty works of Christ are ended. We look upon what the Master Himself did, and are lost in wonder and admiration. But do we grasp what He proposes to do through us? The work of manifesting the Father to the world is not completed. Christ did His part while here upon earth, but He has seen fit to share this work with His followers. "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." Most blessed promise! "He that believeth on Me," says the Lord, "the works that I do shall he do also." Repeat this promise o'er and o'er. Believe it. Feed upon it. And then let the mind be expanded to grasp the still greater promise, "And greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto My Father." The foundation of all the mighty works of Christ was His completely perfect life. And when He promises that we shall do the works that He did, He gives us the assurance that we shall have power to live His perfect life. And when He has performed in us the mighty miracle of leading us up to the place where we live His perfect life, it will be but a little step then to lead us on to where He will perform through us the great miracles of healing, etc., that so strongly marked His ministry. Even mightier works than were done by Christ while here on earth are to be wrought now through those who believe. This is the word of the Master, and it can not fail. But He must have a channel of purity and righteousness through which to work so mightily. And if we, as individuals, are to be the instruments of these mightier works, we must first yield to His cleansing power so that He may prepare us for it. Most inspiring are the promises of the Lord to every one of us! How they should fill us with the deepest devotion to His righteous cause! T.