Episode Transcript
CONSECRATE
Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.
Jesus, I belong to you.
I lift up my heart to you.
I set my mind on you.
I fix my eyes on you.
I offer my body to you as a living sacrifice.
Jesus, we belong to you.
Praying in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, amen.
HEAR
John 14:10–14 ESV
Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.
CONSIDER
Some years ago while scanning the internet, I happened across an art installation in Scotland. At the center of the exhibit was a large neon-lit, lettered sign with the following words in ALL CAPS:
THERE WILL BE NO MIRACLES HERE.
Jesus's words in today's text tell us exactly the opposite.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father."
I have been on a long journey with this text. I remember years ago when I first really "saw" this text. I filed it into a growing collection of Scripture texts I categorized as follows: “This is either not true or I am not getting it.” Today, I believe it more than ever because I have begun to experience its reality.
Still, I find myself asking, Why aren’t the uncommon works of Jesus more commonplace in our time? I will risk a diagnosis: we aren’t seeing the greater works because we don’t yet possess the greater love.
Return with me to those days when I first discovered this text. I diagnosed my deficit as a power problem, which quickly led me to believe I had a faith problem. I didn’t have enough faith. After all, Jesus did say, “whoever believes in me,” so I focused on believing more, thinking I would gain more power. It didn’t work.
Finally, the obvious occurs to me that John 14 is couched between John 13, of which verses 34–35 read: "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” And John 15, of which verses 12–13 read: “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
Jesus continues to transform my understanding from the love of power to the power of love. I am convinced now love is the power. We will finally see greater things when we learn the ways of greater love. It makes sense, doesn’t it? When we finally break into the rarified air of loving others as Jesus has loved us, we will discover the only true power and that it has been waiting on us the whole time.
I am reminded of another sign I came across many years ago. It was one of those lettered marquee signs at the local bank. It read, again in all caps:
WHERE THERE IS GREAT LOVE, MIRACLES ALWAYS HAPPEN!
PRAY
Abba Father, we thank you for your Son, Jesus, who is the love of God. Thank you that to love as he loves is impossible apart from his presence. Teach us to love his presence more than his power and, in doing so, to discover the power of his love in our presence. We pray in Jesus’s name, amen.
