Doing Greater Things: Discipleship in John's Gospel and Letters

Doing Greater Things: Discipleship in John's Gospel and Letters

Poling J. SUN

The clause “those who believe in me would do the works I have been doing; they would even do greater things” in John 14:12 has intrigued exegetes for centuries. While the meaning of the text seems evident and clear upon first reading, further consideration cautions and calls for a probe into how "greater things" should be related to the Gospel's coherent presentation of Jesus' identity and ministry, the role of the Holy Spirit and the ethics of the community. Contrary to the view that the saying is Jesus ' promise to the succeeding disciples to perform more spectacular and miraculous acts, after a close reading of the motif in relation to the entire narrative and in particular to John 13-17 (the Farewell Discourse), this paper argues that the saying should be understood as a formulation of discipleship in John's Gospel and Letters.

This paper begins with an examination of Jesus' ministry and maintains that miracles in John's Gospel are strictly confined to revealing Jesus' identity and ministry (ie signs). It further examines the motif of “Greater” in the Gospel and suggests along with contemporary scholars that the motif is best understood within the Johannine eschatological framework ushered by Jesus' Hour of Glory. The third part of this paper focuses on chapters 13-17 in which 14:12 is located, suggesting that scholars' opinion of an eschatological framework is still unsatisfying because it is too broad to clarify the meaning of the issue at stake. This paper demonstrates that this eschatological framework is further substantiated with Jesus' own example and his Commandment of Love and the role of the Holy Spirit. These various aspects and motifs link coherently together to illuminate the neglected side of “Doing Greater Things” –– discipleship. The paper ends with a discussion of how Jesus' identity and ministry, Commandment of Love, and the role of the Holy Spirit are further articulated in I and II John , confirming the significance of Johannine formulation of discipleship.