Greater Works than These
- Rev Robert Moses
- May 3
- 5 min read
Lessons, Easter 5A: Acts 7:55-60; Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16; 1 Peter 2:2-10; John 14:1-14
“Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do, and, in fact, will do greater works than these.”
These words from Jesus in John’s Gospel land with both promise and provocation. They invite us to imagine a world where the ministry of Jesus does not end with Jesus, but expands—multiplies—through the lives of ordinary people who dare to trust that love is stronger than fear, that justice is stronger than oppression, that peace is stronger than violence.
And today, as we also remember Stephen—the first Christian martyr, a deacon chosen to serve the poor, a man whose witness cost him his life—we see what it looks like when someone takes Jesus at his word. Stephen believed. And because he believed, he acted. And because he acted, the world changed.
“Greater Works Than These”: What Could Jesus Possibly Mean?
It’s tempting to soften Jesus’ words, to imagine he’s speaking metaphorically or exaggerating for effect. After all, how could anyone do greater works than Jesus? But Jesus isn’t diminishing himself—he’s expanding the mission. He’s saying that the work of God is not confined to one body, one lifetime, one corner of Galilee. The work of God is a movement, a rising tide of compassion and courage that flows through every generation of believers.
Jesus healed the sick, welcomed the outcast, confronted systems of injustice, and proclaimed a kingdom where the last are first. But he did these things within the limits of one human life. We—collectively, across centuries and continents—can do more. Not because we are greater than Jesus, but because Jesus has multiplied his life through us. This is not a call to spiritual heroics. It’s a call to faithful participation. It’s a call to believe that our actions matter—that feeding one hungry family, standing up for one vulnerable neighbor, marching for one just cause, planting one seed of peace—these things ripple outward in ways we cannot see.
Stephen: Witness of Courage and Compassion
Stephen’s story from Acts is not primarily about his death. It’s about his life—his ministry among widows, his bold proclamation of God’s inclusive love, his refusal to be silent in the face of injustice. Stephen did not seek martyrdom. He sought faithfulness. And faithfulness led him into conflict with systems that preferred the status quo.
Stephen’s witness reminds us that doing the works of Jesus is not always safe. It may put us at odds with powers that benefit from inequality, exploitation, or violence. It may require us to speak uncomfortable truths. It may call us to stand with those who are marginalized or mistreated.
But Stephen also shows us something else: even in the face of hatred, he refused to surrender his commitment to peace. His final words echo Jesus: “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” His life and death reveal a love that refuses to mirror the violence it encounters.
This is the kind of courage the world still needs.
Easter People in a World of Good Fridays
We are deep into the Easter season, and Easter is not just a celebration of resurrection—it is a commissioning. The risen Christ sends us out to embody resurrection in a world still shaped by crucifying forces. And those forces are real. We see them in systems that exploit workers, in communities torn apart by violence, in policies that prioritize profit over people, in the ongoing struggle for racial justice, and in the cries of those who labor without fair wages or safe conditions. On this weekend, when many around the world mark May Day—International Workers’ Day—we remember that justice is not an abstract idea. It is lived in the bodies of people who work, who struggle, who dream of a world where dignity is not a privilege but a right.
Jesus’ promise that we will do “greater works” is not a promise of personal glory. It is a call to collective liberation. It is a reminder that the Spirit empowers us to challenge injustice, to build communities of care, to imagine economies rooted in fairness, and to pursue peace not as the absence of conflict but as the presence of justice.
The Works of Jesus in Our Time
So what does it look like to do the works of Jesus today?
It looks like feeding the hungry—in charity, but also with advocacy for systems where no one goes hungry in the first place.
It looks like healing the sick—through actual medical care, but also by fighting for equitable access to that care.
It looks like welcoming the stranger—immigrants, refugees, those who have been pushed to the margins and forced by circumstance somewhere new.
It looks like confronting systems of violence and choosing peace—not passive peace that avoids conflict, but active peace that dismantles the roots of violence.
It looks like building communities where every person’s labor is honored, where workers are treated with dignity, where economic justice is not a dream but a practice.
These are not small things. They are the works of Jesus. And when we do them together, they become the “greater works” Jesus promised.
A Word for a Weary World: Becoming the Greater Works
Maybe you feel overwhelmed by the weight of the world. It’s easy to feel powerless. But Jesus’ words today are not addressed to the powerful. They are addressed to ordinary disciples—people with doubts, fears, and limitations. People like us. Jesus says: You will do the works that I do. Not because you are perfect and not because you are strong, but because “I am” is with you. It is grounded in the presence of the Spirit—grounded in the truth that love is not limited by our capacity. Love flows through us, beyond us, and sometimes in spite of us.
Stephen did not set out to be a hero. He set out to be faithful, and God used his faithfulness.
So what might “greater works” look like in your life? Maybe it’s showing up for someone who feels forgotten. Maybe it’s speaking up when silence would be easier. Maybe it’s supporting workers who are fighting for fair treatment. Maybe it’s planting seeds of hope in a world that feels barren.
The works of Jesus are not always dramatic. Often they are quiet, persistent, and rooted in everyday compassion. But they matter. They accumulate. They transform. And when we do them together—as a community, as a movement, as the Body of Christ—they become greater than anything we could imagine.
Jesus’ promise is not a burden. It is a blessing. It is an invitation to participate in God’s ongoing work of healing, justice, and peace. It is a reminder that resurrection is not just something we celebrate—it is something we practice. Stephen’s life shows us that the Spirit can do extraordinary things through ordinary people. And Jesus’ words remind us that the story is still unfolding.
May we live our story with faithfulness, and may our lives become part of the greater works God is doing in the world.
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