Church Fathers Commentary John 14:12-14

"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 the 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, that will I do." — John 14:12-14 (ASV)

St. John Chrysostom: Having said, "Believe for the works’ sake," our Lord goes on to declare that He can do much greater things than these and, what is more wonderful, give others the power to perform them. "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and he will do greater works than these."

St. Augustine of Hippo: But what are these greater works? Is it that the shadow of the apostles, as they passed by, healed the sick? It is indeed a greater thing for a shadow to heal than for the border of a garment to do so.

Nevertheless, by "works" here, our Lord refers to His words. For when He says, "My Father who dwells in Me, He does the works," what are these works but the words which He spoke? And the fruit of those words was their faith. But these were only a few converts in comparison with the number the disciples made afterward by their preaching; they converted the Gentiles to the faith.

Did not the rich man go away sorrowful from His words? And yet what one man did not do at His own exhortation, many did afterward when He preached through the disciples. He did greater works when preached by believers than when speaking to people's ears. Still, He did these greater works through His apostles, yet He includes others besides them when He says, "He who believes in Me."

Are we not to count anyone among the believers in Christ who does not do greater works than Christ? This sounds harsh if not explained. The Apostle says, "To him who believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness" (Romans 4:5). By this work, then, we will do the works of Christ, for the very act of believing in Christ is the work of Christ. He works this in us, though not without us.

Pay attention, then: "He who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also." First I do them, then he will do them; I do them so that he may do them. What works are these but this: that a person, from being a sinner, becomes just? This is the thing Christ works in us, though not without us. In truth, I call this a greater work than to create the heavens and the earth, for heaven and earth will pass away, but the salvation and justification of the predestined will remain.

However, the angels in heaven are the work of Christ. Shall he who works with Christ for his own justification do greater works even than these? Let anyone judge which is the greater work: to create the just, or to justify the ungodly? At least, if both are of equal power, the latter has more mercy.

But it is not necessary to understand this to mean all the works of Christ when He says, "greater works than these he will do." "These" perhaps refers to the works He had done that hour. He had just been instructing them in the faith. And surely it is a lesser work to preach righteousness, which He did without us, than to justify the ungodly, which He does in us in such a way that we also do it ourselves. Truly, our Lord promised great things to His people when He went to His Father: "Because I go to My Father."

St. John Chrysostom: That is, "I will not perish, but will remain in My proper dignity, in heaven." Or He means, "From now on, it is your part to work miracles, since I am going."

St. Augustine of Hippo: And so that no one might attribute the merit to himself, He shows that even those greater works were His own doing: "And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do." Before, it was, "He will do"; now, "I will do." It is as if He said, "Do not let this appear impossible to you. He who believes in Me will not be greater than I; but I will do greater works then than now—greater through him who believes in Me than now by Myself. This will not be a failure, but a condescension."

St. John Chrysostom: "In My name," He says. Thus the apostles said, "In the name of Jesus of Nazareth, rise up and walk." All the miracles that they did, He did; the hand of the Lord was with them.

Theophylact of Ohrid: This is an explanation of the doctrine of miracles. It is by prayer and the invocation of His name that a person is able to work miracles.

St. Augustine of Hippo: "Whatever you ask." Then why do we often see believers asking and not receiving? Perhaps it is that they ask amiss. When a person would make a bad use of what he asks for, God in His mercy does not grant it.

Still, if God in His kindness often refuses the requests of believers, how are we to understand, "Whatever you ask in My name, I will do"? Was this said to the apostles only? No. He says above, "He who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also." And if we go to the lives of the apostles themselves, we will find that he who labored more than they all prayed that the messenger of Satan might depart from him, but was not granted his request.

But pay attention: does not our Lord lay down a certain condition? "In My name," which is Christ Jesus. Christ signifies "King," and Jesus signifies "Savior." Therefore, whatever we ask for that would hinder our salvation, we do not ask in our Savior’s name. And yet He is our Savior not only when He does what we ask, but also when He does not. When He sees us ask for anything to the disadvantage of our salvation, He shows Himself to be our Savior by not doing it.

The physician knows whether what the sick person asks for is to the advantage or disadvantage of his health; he does not allow what would be to his hurt, though the sick person desires it, but looks instead to his final cure. And some things we may even ask in His name, and He will not grant them to us at the time, though He will at some time. What we ask for is deferred, not denied.

He adds, "that the Father may be glorified in the Son." The Son does not do anything without the Father, inasmuch as He does it so that the Father may be glorified in Him.

St. John Chrysostom: For when the great power of the Son is manifested, He who begot Him is glorified. He introduces this last to confirm the truth of what He has said.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Observe the order in which the glorifying of the Father comes. In the name of Jesus, miracles were done, by which people were made to believe the apostles’ preaching. This brought them to the knowledge of the Father, and thus the Father was glorified in the Son.