3649-"Greater Works" by F. F. G.

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Jan 30, 1912

3649—"Greater Works"

By F. F. G.

I am at a loss to know how, when, or where the apostles did greater works than Jesus Christ. See John 14:12. F. F. G.

When our Lord went away He gave His Spirit, and that Spirit baptized and filled all those who had faith in Him. Jesus as a physical being could be in but one place at a time while He abode here, but His disciples could be in twelve different places at the same time, and each of them doing God's work by the fulness of that Spirit. And when those disciples were multiplied, as they were later on, each one, doing work for God in the locality where he was, would of course multiply the seed sown and increase God's working. And therefore all those disciples would do greater works than the Master. While Jesus was here personally present, the disciples could not seem to grasp that He could do work other than where He was physically present. When the centurion grasped that fact, and told the Lord that he was not worthy that He should come into his house, but speak the word only, and his servant should be healed, Jesus marveled, and said that He had not found so great faith, no, not in Israel; but when Lazarus was sick and died, each of the sisters—devoted, earnest disciples of Jesus—said, "Lord, if Thou hadst been here, my brother had not died." They could not grasp God's healing, saving power apart from His presence. Therefore it was expedient that He should go away, and in going away He sent the great power of His fulness of life, the outpouring of His Spirit, upon His disciples, so that wherever those disciples went and were united to Him by living faith, His power and His presence were with them. And then, too, mighty miracles were wrought by the individual disciples. It is said of Paul at Corinth, that God wrought "special miracles" by his hand, "insomuch that unto the sick were carried away from his body handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out." Acts 19:11, 12. And of Peter it is said that "they even carried out the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that, as Peter came by, at the least his shadow might overshadow some one of them. And there also came together the multitude from the cities round about Jerusalem, bringing sick folk, and them that were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one." Acts 5:15, 16.