Episode 269 - "Promises, promises" - Genesis 17:1-8

Gen. 17:1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, 2 that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.” 3 Then Abram fell on his face. And God said to him, 4 “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. 5 No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. 7 And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. 8 And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.”

Since Adam and Eve disobeyed the LORD in Genesis 3, we have been anticipating “the seed of the woman” who would crush the head of the serpent and restore things to the way the LORD intended in the beginning. The narrative has led us to Abram and Sarai. The LORD has promised to make Abram a “great nation.” We even read how the LORD initiated a covenant promise as an unconditional promise. This meant that the LORD was taking full responsibility for bringing about the fulfillment of this promise. We also read about how Abram and Sarai did things that risked disqualifying them from bringing the promised seed.

This passage opens with “When Abram was ninety-nine years old . . .” (Gen. 17:1). Stop there and think about this for a minute. The LORD has made this promise to Abram for many years, and now he is ninety-nine, but he still has not had a single child by Sarai. Too late, right? It would seem an impossible thing for a couple so old to have a child.

It’s at this time the LORD speaks to Abram again and says, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, 2 that I may make my covenant between you and me, and may multiply you greatly.” (Gen 17:1b-2) The LORD is telling Abram, first of all, that there is nothing he cannot do. He is “God Almighty.” In light of that, he instructs Abram to trust him by living according to his instructions. He then reaffirms his promise to give Abram innumerable descendants.

Abram is not jaded. He is in awe of the LORD and worships him. The LORD then revealed to him that the LORD was changing his name from Abram, meaning exalted father, to Abraham. The Hebrew term for Abraham is a word play on a word meaning “Father of nations.” The explanation for this change of identity is explained by the LORD telling him, “for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.” (Gen. 17:5) He continues in verse six to unpack that promise even more.

In verse seven, the LORD promised to establish his covenant not just with Abraham but with every generation of his descendants after him as an everlasting covenant. This everlasting covenant promise includes the land of Canaan as an everlasting possession for Abraham’s descendants. One would have to completely ignore history and the news to know that Abraham’s descendants of promise (Israelites) have not yet realized that promise. So, what gives? Has the LORD failed? Has he reneged on his promise?

Let me keep this as simple as I know how. Those within the Christian faith vary in how they interpret the fulfillment of this covenant promise. Personally, I’m going to take this at face value and say that I believe the LORD will ultimately fulfill this promise in a literal way. In other words, I believe the LORD still has a plan for the Jews. Other people who love Jesus as much as I may have a different understanding of how this has been or will be fulfilled. Regardless of where people fall on this spectrum of interpretation, God is Almighty. He is not powerless to fulfill his promises precisely as he intends. He certainly is not constrained or dependent upon any specific human interpretation of his word. He is able and faithful to fulfill his promises, as we will see as we continue this study.

This brings us to the last part of verse eight. The LORD states, “And I will be their God.” (Gen. 17:8c). As one continues through the Old Testament books and time passes, one will witness a recurring pattern of the Israelites abandoning the LORD as their God. When they do so, they lose possession of the land. The lesson we should learn from this ourselves is that if we expect to experience promised blessings from the LORD, he must be our God.

Episode 265 - "God's promise to Abram" - Genesis 15:1-6

Gen. 15:1 After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” 2 But Abram said, “O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” 4 And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” 5 And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 6 And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

If there are sections of Scripture that are more significant or important than others, Genesis 15, I believe, would have to be included in that list. The reason is that the New Testament authors cite this to support their argument for the nature of faith and imputed righteousness.

In our last episode, the LORD had given Abram victory over the kings that had taken Lot and his possessions. Melchizedek, the king of Salem, blessed Abram, and Abram gave a tithe to him. The LORD was ready to take Abram to the next step in his plan to make Abram a great nation. This is just my personal observation and not necessarily a theological point of the text. But I think the LORD often works like this within our lives. People often want God to “zap” them and fix all their struggles and problems right away. Perhaps the LORD does not do that because he wants us to learn to trust him always. Notice how this section opens.

The LORD spoke to Abram in a vision. He told him not to fear. His promise to Abram that could allay his fear was, “I am your shield” (Gen. 15:1). God is telling Abram that He will protect Abram from harm. God had already demonstrated his protection of Abram when he led Abram out of his home country to the land of Canaan, down into Egypt, where Abram attempted to protect himself at the risk of forfeiting God’s promise to make him a great nation by allowing his wife Sarai to be taken into Pharoah’s household. God demonstrates his patience and care for Abram by reassuring him that he is always with Abram, will protect him, and will reward him greatly.

Abram and Sarai weren’t getting any younger, and in verses 2-3, Abram effectively recalls God’s promise to make his name great and to make him a great nation. Abram is rightly expecting Sarai to have children. But the LORD had not yet given them a child. We don’t know who Eliezer of Damascus is to Abram other than he is not his own child. It seems as though Abram is seeking clarity from God. In other words, he’s saying, “Since you haven’t given us any children, is this one going to be my heir?”

The LORD’s response leaves no question as to his plan. Abram will have a biological child. It will not be someone who is adopted or has some other legal status as a potential heir. But he doesn’t leave it there. The LORD had Abram look into the sky and told him that his descendants would be numerous like the stars in the sky.

We just witnessed the limits of Abram’s understanding and faith in the LORD when he reminded the LORD that He had not given him one child. But in the LORD’s fantastic revelation concerning the number of descendants he would provide Abram, Abram believed and trusted him. The LORD assessed Abram’s trust as righteousness. We saw this same thing with Noah, didn’t we? Noah trusted the LORD. He responded rightly to the LORD’s revelation and was obedient to the LORD’s revelation.

It is inappropriate to read this and think that the LORD is making the same promise to us. We cannot assume that if we just trust the LORD, he will make us wealthy. Yet, it is appropriate and proper to understand that this passage reveals that the LORD is trustworthy. He does make promises to us that seem so impossible. The promise of the resurrection and eternal life, for example, is not something we can prove through scientific observation. Stories like this reveal that God cares for his people. He protects them. He provides for them. He wants what is best for them. He is trustworthy, and we need to respond to God’s revelation by believing him and receiving the righteousness counted toward us in Christ.

Episode 263 - "Abram resolves conflict with faith" Genesis 13

Gen. 13:1 So Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the Negeb.

Gen. 13:2 Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. 3 And he journeyed on from the Negeb as far as Bethel to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, 4 to the place where he had made an altar at the first. And there Abram called upon the name of the LORD. 5 And Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents, 6 so that the land could not support both of them dwelling together; for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together, 7 and there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were dwelling in the land.

Gen. 13:8 Then Abram said to Lot, “Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, for we are kinsmen. 9 Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right, or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left.” 10 And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) 11 So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each other. 12 Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom. 13 Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the LORD.

Gen. 13:14 The LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, 15 for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever. 16 I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted. 17 Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you.” 18 So Abram moved his tent and came and settled by the oaks of Mamre, which are at Hebron, and there he built an altar to the LORD.

We have another sub-story concerning Abram that I think is worth saying a few words about a lot of words. This story brings Lot into focus along with Abram. As we learned earlier in Genesis, Lot’s father died, and his grandfather took responsibility for him until he died. Then, Lot continued with Abram. What we are told first is that Abram “was very rich” (Gen. 13:2) and Lot “had flocks and herds and tents” (Gen. 13:5). While we don’t know how wealthy Abram was when he left his home to follow the LORD, we learned in our last episode that at least some of Abram’s wealth came from the Pharoah of Egypt when Pharoah took Sarai into his house. The most crucial point in the context for the setting of this story is that the LORD blessed them both to the extent that they needed to spread out (Gen. 13:6). When herds and flocks grow in numbers, they need a lot of land to graze. Otherwise, they will destroy the grazing fields by overgrazing them.

Abram noticed the tension among the herdsmen in the competition for grazing land. Perhaps they even had a problem keeping the herds and flocks from mixing, and there were arguments over what livestock belonged to whom. It would seem that Abram had the right to make any decision he wanted to settle the conflict. He could have told Lot where to go and remain. Instead, he gave Lot the privilege of choosing where he would like to live and feed his livestock.

Look at verses 10-13 and notice how Lot responds to Abram’s offer. “Lot lifted up his eyes . . .” and chose what looked best to him. He chose the area that looked greener and better watered. From a human perspective, he chose the best land for himself. This creates some tension of its own at different levels. The author tells us that this is before Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by God and that the men of Sodom, where Lot would make his home, were “wicked, great sinners against the LORD” (Gen. 13:13). The text also tells us that Abram made his home in Canaan. While we recognize there will likely be conflict between Abram and Ham’s descendants, we also understand that this is the place to where the LORD had led him and has now brought him back to after his time in Egypt seeking relief from the famine.

Now look at verse 14 and the following. The LORD told Abram to lift up his eyes and look in every direction. Lot is pictured as lifting up his eyes to choose what appears desirable to him. Abram, in contrast, obeys the LORD by lifting up his eyes to see what the LORD is giving him. What Lot does is similar to what Eve did in the garden. Instead of listening to the LORD, she judged that she wanted what looked good in her own judgment, regardless of what the LORD had commanded. Abram is trusting the LORD.

The picture of Abram’s faith in the LORD versus Lot’s actions according to his own senses and reason are further cemented when we’re told that Lot made his home among the cities (recall that Cain built a city) and Abram settled where the LORD led him and worshipped the LORD. (Gen. 13:12)

What a tremendous lesson we get from Abram. How I need to consider his approach to resolving conflict. I need to let things go and not hold on to what I think I deserve or defend my self-perceived rights. I need to trust that the LORD will provide what is good, necessary, and right for me. He already has. But will I remember it the next time and trust him?

Episode 251 - "God remembered Noah . . . " Genesis 8:1-19

Gen. 8:1 But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided. 2 The fountains of the deep and the windows of the heavens were closed, the rain from the heavens was restrained, 3 and the waters receded from the earth continually. At the end of 150 days the waters had abated, 4 and in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. 5 And the waters continued to abate until the tenth month; in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen.

Gen. 8:6 At the end of forty days Noah opened the window of the ark that he had made 7 and sent forth a raven. It went to and fro until the waters were dried up from the earth. 8 Then he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters had subsided from the face of the ground. 9 But the dove found no place to set her foot, and she returned to him to the ark, for the waters were still on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her and brought her into the ark with him. 10 He waited another seven days, and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark. 11 And the dove came back to him in the evening, and behold, in her mouth was a freshly plucked olive leaf. So Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth. 12 Then he waited another seven days and sent forth the dove, and she did not return to him anymore.

Gen. 8:13 In the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried from off the earth. And Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and behold, the face of the ground was dry. 14 In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth had dried out. 15 Then God said to Noah, 16 “Go out from the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons’ wives with you. 17 Bring out with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh—birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth—that they may swarm on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.” 18 So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him. 19 Every beast, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything that moves on the earth, went out by families from the ark.

While I have selected a larger-than-normal segment of Scripture for this episode, my primary focus is the important principle in verse 1, “But God remembered . . .” Everything that follows the first verse in this section is the result of God’s remembrance of Noah, his family, and all the animals on the ark. They are delivered from God’s judgment upon the earth by the flood.

This may seem obvious to some people, but I think it’s worth noting that God hasn’t forgotten about them. For people who will have lived on this floating zoo for over a year when it’s all said and done, there would certainly be a temptation to think that God has forgotten about them. The form of the Hebrew word that is translated as “remembered” is probably best understood as “calling to mind.” Think of it like this. You have a number of things you have on your to-do list or people that you know and love with whom you haven’t communicated in a while. You haven’t forgotten about them. But there comes a point when addressing a certain need or contacting a certain person becomes your single priority. You focus on and prioritize that action or person. This is what is described in Genesis 8:1. God is prioritizing the deliverance of the people and the animals on the ark for the purpose of them exiting the ark back to dry land where God will bless them and charge them to be fruitful and multiply. If you get nothing else out of this text, I hope you will understand and value that God’s remembering of Noah is associated with God’s good intent, protection, and purpose for Noah. This is a repeated theme or principle throughout the Scriptures that has relevance for us.

What follows is the beginning of God’s action from his good intent for Noah and all living things on the ark. The rain stopped, and God sent a “wind” over the earth to dry it up. Does this sound familiar? Go back and read Genesis 1:2. It is the same Hebrew word that is translated “spirit” in Genesis 1:2 that is translated “wind” here in Genesis 8:1. I believe this is intentional and is likely the Holy Spirit that is working to prepare the earth for the “reboot” that is about to happen. It’s communicating to the reader that God still has the good intent and purpose for creatures that he had in the beginning. What an encouragement!

Noah responded to what God did. God stopped the rain, and the waters started to abate. Noah didn’t cower inside the ark in fear that God wasn’t done. Noah trusted the Lord and sent out the birds, anticipating that dry land would appear and vegetation would begin to grow again. In a sense, what Noah is doing is “remembering” the Lord. Noah has trusted the Lord and knows that God is faithful to his word. Noah is calling to mind God’s character.

It’s in verse 15 that the LORD speaks again. God commanded that every living thing on the ark leave the ark and go out onto the earth, and “be fruitful and multiply on the earth.” (v. 17) The same command God gave when he first created living things at the beginning of time. Already, there is an expectation within this command that they will be able to fulfill it. They will not have to fear that they will need to retreat to the ark the next time it rains. In God’s command is the expected promise that he will make it possible to fulfill that command.

I think there are many people who live life anticipating that God is just waiting for an opportunity to smack them down. This is not only contrary to what the Scriptures reveal about God, it’s also unfortunate because they are missing out on the blessings that come through God’s remembering us. He calls us to mind. He is concerned for us and desires the life and deliverance that comes through his provision and our responseful obedience to his commands.

Episode 138 - "It is the Lord!" - John 21:1-8

1 After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. 3 Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

4 Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” 6 He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. 7 That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea. 8 The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off.

In the last episode, I focused on the first three verses of this story. I mentioned how the LORD revealed himself wherever and whenever he wanted. There is nothing that can prevent God’s presence with us. It would seem from this story that we never have to wonder if God is there or not. Our problem is whether we believe from one moment to the next that He is all-powerful, all-good, and is accessible to us. 

Peter had denied that he knew the Lord three times after asserting that he would die for him. It is interesting how that never seemed to come up in the two appearances Jesus made to the disciples preceding this encounter. But, you can bet that with everything that has happened, Peter has not forgotten it. My guess is that Peter’s guilt was festering like a boil. There is no record that Jesus chastised him during the times he appeared to them and it would seem that it didn’t come up. The trauma of Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion, the fear of persecution by the Jewish leaders leading them to lock themselves into a home, the shock mixed with the joy of Jesus’ resurrection and appearance to them, and the guilt of denying and abandoning the Lord had to be working heavily on these guys. They needed an outlet; something to get their mind off of it all. More importantly, they needed a purpose and a direction in life.

Verse four begins with “Just as day was breaking.” Just as day was breaking, just as the light was appearing, Jesus (the Light of the world) showed up on the shore. But, the disciples still did not recognize who it was. Jesus called to them and addressed them as “children.” I’m not exactly sure what is going on here by this address. It would not seem that Jesus was insulting them and there’s no evidence that they took it that way. He asked them if they had any fish and they replied “no.” I suspect that in doing so, Jesus had a purpose. That purpose might have been to establish this experience as a learning experience and that he was the teacher. Since we believe that our author is one of the men in the boat and is the first to recognize that it’s Jesus on the shoreline, this stuck in his mind. Still, the first reaction in the disciples’ minds might have been who does this guy think he is by calling us children? 

Jesus’ instructions to the “children” were, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will catch some.” (v. 6) The audacity of this guy. We’ve been fishing all night long. Does he really think we haven’t fished throughout this whole area on various sides of the boat? That’s what I would imagine these guys to be thinking. What surprises me a little is that they don’t seem to even argue. They just obeyed. Oh . . . maybe that’s the point. They just obeyed Jesus’ command. But, did you notice that Jesus didn’t just command them to cast the net on the right side of the boat? He made them a promise, “You will find some.” There’s the understatement of all time. They didn’t just catch some. Their net was full to the point that they would normally expect it to break causing them to lose their catch. But, it didn’t. Here is the point that all of us can learn. We experience God’s promises when we obey His commands. The promises are for our good. The most important command of the Lord for us is to believe that Jesus, God’s Son, revealed himself in this world, died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sin making us just before God, and raised from the dead giving us hope that he will fulfill his promise to raise us from the dead and give us eternal life.

In an instant of realizing their tremendous catch by obeying this “stranger’s” command, the disciple whom Jesus loved (John) told Peter, “It is the Lord!” Immediately, what was more important than achieving what they had been vainly striving for on their own all night long was the identity of the person on the shore. There’s another good lesson for us, isn’t it? Our own efforts are all in vain if Jesus is not more important.

This revelation to Peter was the tipping point in his own life. Forgetting the fish, he put on his outer garment and jumped into the sea to go to Jesus. What was he going to do? What was he going to say? What would Jesus do or say when it was just the two of them alone on the shore. I don’t Peter had a clue. I think he just needed to be with Jesus and that he expected Jesus to address his guilt and pain. Perhaps that’s a good lesson for us as well. There are times when we don’t know which way is up. There are moments when we feel guilt or just inadequate and without purpose or value. We need to go to Jesus trusting that he knows where we’re at and how to comfort and encourage us in those times.

Episode 107 - "Whoever kills you . . .will think he is offering service to God" - John 16:1-4

John 16:1 “I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. 2 They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. 3 And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me. 4 But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you.

The opening words of this section should cause us to go back and read Jesus’ words leading up to this warning. Jesus is not trying to scare them. He is preparing them. Everything that Jesus has been telling them about the importance of them abiding in him and his words abiding in them is to help them remain steadfast in their faith WHEN (not if) they are persecuted. Jesus repeatedly promised that he would ask the Father to send them the Holy Spirit who would help them remember and understand what Jesus taught them. Furthermore, the Spirit would advocate for their needs to the Father. Jesus encouraged them with a promise that prayers asked in his name would be answered. Finally, he promised them that they would be with him and the Father for eternity. That would mean they would be resurrected sometime after they had died. These promises would serve to encourage them during such a crisis of persecution for their faith in Jesus. 

Jesus explained that he told them all this to keep them from falling away. Through Jesus’ ministry, there were people who initially were following after Jesus. But, John helps us understand these are people who want what they want. The people who had been miraculously fed in the wilderness recognized the significance of the miracle they watched him perform and received the benefit. Yet, when they followed Jesus and he told them they needed to drink his blood and eat his flesh, they didn’t want what Jesus was offering. They wanted Jesus on their own terms. They “fell away.” 

These disciples of Jesus’ have already witnessed the persecution of the man born blind who received his sight by Jesus, was cast out by the Pharisees for his pronouncement that Jesus was from God, and still worshipped Jesus when Jesus revealed his identity to him. These disciples would receive this kind of treatment and worse. Jesus is preparing them for it.

It’s easy to imagine that maybe non-religious and/or atheistic people might persecute these disciples of Jesus. But, Jesus explains to them that it’s religious people. He says in verse 2 that such persecutors will persecute them thinking they are doing God a favor. But, then he explains in verse 3 that these people don’t truly know God. 

How often have we heard about terrible things being done in the name of God or Jesus? But, their words and actions are in utter contradiction to the teachings of Jesus. 

If I were  told that a time is coming soon when people would beat me up, throw me in prison, and kill me for my faith, I imagine the anxiety and stress that might create would be significant. Like these disciples, I hope that the promises of Jesus would keep me steady in my faith and ministry. Jesus did tell his disciples these things would happen to them just as he told them that they would be his witnesses. The disciples had a purpose and mission from God to tell others about Jesus regardless of the consequences. That mission and purpose is for us today. Perhaps we will experience persecution of some manner for our witness. 

We know that that this promised persecution of the disciples happened soon after Jesus’ ascension to heaven. You can read about these in the book of Acts. That is one more indication that Jesus’ promises are true. If that promise is true, then we can also trust that his promises about answered prayer, the Holy Spirit advocating for us and a future resurrection and eternal life with God are also true.

Let us think about these things in order that the Holy Spirit will encourage us with Jesus’ promises.

Episode 98 - "Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it." - John 14:12-14

John 14:12   “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. 13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

Jesus seems to have a way of saying things that cause us to stop and say, “Really?” In these short three verses, he makes at least two of these “Really” statements. The first is his promise the disciples will do the works that Jesus himself has done and will do even greater works.  The second is “Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it.” 

I don’t know about you, but my thoughts in response to these promises are more like Sarah laughing when the divine visitors told Abraham that Sarah would have a child in her old age. To be quite frank, my faith is tested when reading these promises. I have difficulty fully accepting that these are true for me. 

Some folks have suggested that these promises were to the apostles and do not extend to believers beyond the apostles. But, I find myself convicted when tempted to rationalize that they don’t really apply to me or other believers around me. I get this voice in my head that says, “No. Take it for what it says.” So, as I examine it, I notice that if we read it and take it for what it all says, there is a great encouragement to be found in these verses.

First, Jesus begins by saying, “Truly, truly.” It’s his way of getting their attention so that what follows is emphasized to them and they cannot reason it away even if they don’t understand it. They know he means what he says. 

Secondly, it’s important to see that this promise is to “whoever believes in” Jesus. That’s us as well as the apostles. But, what does it really mean to “believe in” Jesus? Think about when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead and John recorded that many believed in him. But some returned to the Pharisees. The implication is that the latter group did NOT believe in Jesus. Wait a minute! People who knew that Lazarus had really died and that heard Jesus call him by name and watched Lazarus walk out of the tomb alive didn’t believe that really happened? No, I don’t think so. I think they understood all of that. But, they weren’t responding by placing their faith in Jesus. There’s a difference between understanding with our brain and responding by valuing the reality of those facts and realigning your whole way of thinking in light of this revelation. 

So, if this promise is only true for true believers in Jesus Christ, then our hearts, our values are going to be informed by following Jesus and seeking to do what God wants us to do. That’s what Jesus did, right? He only did what he saw the Father doing. Likewise, Jesus was about to return to the Father, and he wants his followers to continue the works that he did. 

How is it possible that we could do works greater than what Jesus did? Stop for a moment and consider what that could possibly be. Can we do something that would be greater than restoring life to a dead person? I cannot think of what that might be. So, how could our works be greater? I suspect that they are greater in the sense that none of us are perfect. None of us are God-incarnate. Furthermore, we are broken through our sin. Therein lies the answer. I think that Jesus is saying that our works are greater relatively speaking because we are simply creatures who “believe in” Jesus. He says the believer will work greater works “because I am going to the Father.” (v. 12) In other words, he would no longer be physically present for everyone to look to when they wanted a miracle. His antagonists would initially think that they got rid of their problem. But, now his followers would be performing miracles and it would make a profound impact on the world. How would they do this? As the Gospel of John reveals when Jesus would soon return to the Father, he would send the Holy Spirit to be with them and be the power that would work the miracles. This sending of the Holy Spirit would occur on the Day of Pentecost as we read in the first chapter of Acts. In the New Testament Scriptures there are numerous accounts of miracles performed by Jesus’ followers through the power of Jesus’ name and the Holy Spirit. Perhaps there is no greater miracle however than a person receiving eternal life when believing in the good news of Jesus. They have moved from a state of death even though their physical heart may be beating to receiving eternal life when they believe the gospel. We do not have the power within ourselves to make people believe it. But, we have the responsibility and privilege to share the gospel and pray that people will believe it and receive eternal life. That is a great miracle when it happens.

Moving onto the next promise Jesus gave his followers, Jesus twice promised in verses 13-14, “Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do.” Between the repeated promise he explains the reason why he will do what we ask in his name: “that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” This is important because the priority is not about us getting what we want. The priority is that the Father is glorified in the Son. Do you think “anything” includes that which does not glorify the Father? I don’t think so. There is a strong connection between asking something in Jesus’ name and what honors the Father. What is important is that truly having faith in Jesus will keep our minds focused upon doing what the Father wants as Jesus did. Furthermore, we can have confidence that as God leads us, we can make requests in keeping with that, desiring that the Father and the Son are glorified in answering that prayer. This means that we have divine power available to us. We are not alone. God is with us and hears us and desires to answer our requests that will lead to His glory. 

What about when we feel God is not answering our prayers? Perhaps we are not truly asking in Jesus’ name. Perhaps we’re just using the words hoping to get what we want or think is right. Perhaps what we are asking for would not bring glory to God. Perhaps God has answered the prayer, but not exactly as you might expect or maybe we are just not aware that the prayer has been answered.

The primary thing is to accept these promises at face value and trust Jesus that he can and will hear us and answer our prayers for the glory of the Father.