“Emphatically I tell you, he of you who goes on believing on me, the works that I do he will do as well, and he will do greater things than these because I go to the Father. And whatever you ask in my name, that I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you will ask anything in my name, that I will do.”
In the light of what was to happen that night Jesus promised that if they would have continual faith in Him, they would accomplish works like those that He had accomplished, and would indeed do greater works for they would occur worldwide. We need not doubt that this included miracles (although no such examples of ‘greater works' have been given). However, the main part of the ‘greater works' was probably to be found in the success of their preaching which would have great worldwide effects. This is why there is then added the assurance that in their mission they could be sure that whatever they asked in His Name He would do it, because it was His mission too. Note that it is Jesus Himself Who will respond to their prayer. As they pray it is He Himself Who will answer. It is gloriously true that in doing so He will bring glory to the Father, for He and the Father work as One, but the fact that essentially it is He Who will answer their prayers is repeated so that there might be no mistake about it. This in itself justifies prayer to Jesus Christ Himself, examples of which can be found in Acts 7:59; Revelation 22:20.
How careful we must be when we interpret these words. They are not a general promise that all Christians can demand to see fulfilled in their own lives whatever they wish for, in a multitude of ways, for that is clearly not the case. Heaven is not one huge superstore. It is rather a promise to supply all that is needed in our true service for God. But here the promise goes further than that.
“I will do anything that you ask.” What a huge promise. We could not be trusted with such a promise unconditionally, but these men had been especially prepared for a task and were wholly committed to it. They would not ask for anything for their personal benefit or gain, they would have considered it a trivialising of the words. They realised that the promise applied to the work that they had to do (see 1 John 5:14-15), and the works by which they would accomplish it.
“The works that I do, he will do.” We must undoubtedly see this as including His miracles. So the Apostles are empowered to heal all who come to them, and Peter takes advantage of this power (Acts 3:6) as do the others (Acts 5:12). Because Peter and Paul are emphasised in Acts it is often overlooked how widespread was the ministry of all the Apostles, but the same book makes clear the wide influence of their ministry, albeit in summarised form. Manifested healings through the Apostles and their delegates were an essential part of the witness of the early church.
No one who lays claim to healing powers today could make a claim like this. Rather they have to regret how comparatively few are healed (they can never say that all who came to them were healed) although the less spiritual try to blame the failure on other's lack of faith. But Jesus and the Apostles never had to make this excuse. If men had even a little faith, the faith to come, they were healed. The fact is that apart from the Apostles and a few chosen men, gifts of healing were severely restricted, both in the early church and now.
Yet it is noteworthy how little is made by the Apostles' of their works of healing. They had learned from their Master not to trust in signs as a method of converting people. Their healings were works of compassion and mercy.
So these “works” described here go wider than just healing. They include the totality of their ministry, both in practical ministry and in powerful words (Matthew 5:16; Matthew 16:27; John 5:20; John 5:36; John 6:28; John 8:39; John 9:4; John 10:25; John 10:32; John 10:37-38). They have been called to be an example to the world by the lives that they lead, and to proclaim the Good News that Jesus has taught them. The Good News is that the Kingly Rule of God has come for those who will respond, that men can now come to Him in obedience and trust and enjoy His rule, that the power of Satan is broken, and that God has walked among men, and through His death and resurrection has opened the way to forgiveness and eternal life.
“And greater works than these shall he do because I go to the Father.” How could the Apostles do greater works than Jesus? Certainly not in the field of the miraculous. Rather it was in the fact that they would reach out to many nations with the Good News, while Jesus had been restricted to Palestine and the surrounding areas. Success would accompany them on every hand. This would now be possible because He was going to His Father by way of the cross. The barriers will be broken down (Ephesians 2:11-22), and the work of the Spirit, which began in Palestine in the ministry of Jesus, will reach out to the ends of the earth through the work of His Apostles and their helpers.
“And whatever you ask in my name, that I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” This is not a blanket promise that God will give us anything we ask ‘if we go about it in the right way'. It is not a ‘key' for obtaining whatever WE want. It was a promise to dedicated, chosen men that, as they carried out their ‘impossible' task, all the resources of Heaven would be at their disposal. They would come and ‘ask in His name', and Jesus Himself would do it, because they were doing His work. He would do it because what they were doing they were doing for Him, in fulfilment of His command.
Someone who works for a modern company may well be given the authority to obtain ‘whatever he needs' as he goes about the company's business, but he knows, and all know, that this means ‘whatever he needs to carry out his duties for the company'. Thus the disciples know that they can only ask for the kind of thing that He would ask for, for the aim of it is the Father's glory, and that alone. This then is the promise, that they will have available to them all that they need in the fulfilling of their task. What strength this must have given them in the face of impossible odds.
Yet the promise is to ‘the one who goes on believing'. Firstly and primarily it reminded the Apostles that they could only benefit as they continued to be those who fully believed, to be those who were totally committed to Him and His work. However, in a secondary way it can be applied to all who believe and go on believing, but only on the same conditions of discipleship. It is a promise that as we seek to serve the Father in true faith we too may seek His strength and help, and will receive what we need, but only within the limits of our responsibility.
Certainly this gives us no right to claim prosperity, or an easy path, or things for our own pleasure, and we note that the Apostles sought none of those. It does not refer to personal benefits but to what is needed to do the Father's will. The Apostles expected to be in need, to suffer, to go without the good things in life, and to have nothing (1 Corinthians 4:11-13). What they sought was heavenly things, and to this the promise applied.
“If you ask me anything in my name, that I will do”. We notice here that Jesus stresses again that it will be He Who will respond to the prayer, which is seen as made to Him. As they pray in His name they are praying to Him. But again it is in His name, as those who have been appointed by Him. Thus they are praying, ‘because I belong to Jesus and because I am doing the work He has called me to do, give me what I will need to accomplish that work.” His promise then is that He will. (The “Me” is absent in some manuscripts but has very strong support and ‘that will I do' supports it).
Note On The Effectiveness of the Ministry of All the Apostles.
We tend to overlook the work of all the Apostles because of Luke's emphasis on Peter and Paul, but we should note the emphasis in the early part of Acts of the ministry of all the Apostles, including Matthias. Thus:
· They stood alongside Peter on the day of Pentecost and had their own ministry through tongues (Acts 2:14).
· They taught the early believers (Acts 2:41).
· Wonders and signs were done through them all (Acts 2:43).
· They were God's servants through whom it was prayed that God would cause His word to be spoken boldly, accompanied by signs and wonders in the name of God's holy Servant, Jesus (Acts 4:29-30).
· They stood and preached in Solomon's porch when none dared join with them, and were held in high honour by the people (Acts 5:12).
· They were arrested and imprisoned, and were released from prison by an angel during the night (Acts 5:18-19), and went back at daybreak to the Temple, boldly to continue their ministry (Acts 5:21).
· They were set before the council and questioned (Acts 5:27), and when they were reminded that they had been charged not to preach in the name of Jesus, they replied that they had no alternative (Acts 5:28-32).
· They were beaten and charged not to speak in the name of Jesus, and were then let go, and subsequently rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer for the Name, and continued preaching and teaching (Acts 5:40-42).
· They stressed that no hindrance should be put on their teaching ministry (Acts 6:2)
· They remained in Jerusalem when persecution caused the believers to be scattered (Acts 8:1). It may well be that the persecution was at this time mainly aimed at the Hellenists (those influenced by Greek ideas).
· They were still in Jerusalem, no doubt continuing their effective ministry, when they determined to send Peter and John to oversee the ministry among the Samaritans (Acts 8:14). (Note there how Peter is subject to the authority of all the Apostles).
· They helped to call Peter to account for his actions in going to Cornelius (Acts 11:1-18).
· In chapter 15 many of them would possibly be a part of the general assembly that made the decision to accept Gentiles without circumcision and not put on them the whole burden of the ceremonial Law.
A glance through these activities will reveal how assiduously all the Apostles were involved in a teaching and healing ministry after the resurrection in fulfilment of Jesus' words here.
End of note.