I don’t know about you, but there are verses in Scripture that sound so beautiful… and at the same time, so impossible.

One of them is Jesus’ line in 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.” (ESV)

Greater works than Jesus? That’s the part that makes you pause. Because what could possibly be greater than opening blind eyes, cleansing lepers, feeding thousands, raising the dead? What could top that?

I remember reading an interview on Desiring God with John Piper that asked this exact question: How do believers exceed the works of Jesus?… and it forced me to sit still for a moment. Not because I was trying to debate theology, but because I realized something deeper:

I’ve often assumed that “greater works” means bigger platforms, louder influence, more impressive outcomes.

And maybe that assumption is one of the reasons many Christians are tired or even burned out.

The Danger of Measuring “Greater” the Wrong Way

Let me confess something. There are days I subtly feel like my life should be more “impactful.” More visible. More measurable. More “successful.” And if I’m not careful, I start treating ministry like a scoreboard. I look for numbers. I chase results. I measure fruit too quickly. I want proof that what I’m doing is working.

But when I bring that mindset to Jesus’ words—“greater works”—I end up with pressure instead of peace. Because if “greater works” means greater performance, then we are doomed to either pride or despair.

Pride when things go well. Despair when they don’t.

What If the “Greater Works” Aren’t Louder… But Deeper?

The Desiring God interview pointed me toward something that I think we often miss: the phrase “because I am going to the Father.”

Jesus connects “greater works” to a major turning point:

• His death
• His resurrection
• His ascension
• The pouring out of the Holy Spirit

In other words, Jesus isn’t saying, “You’ll be more spectacular than me.” He’s saying, “When my work is finished… something new becomes possible.”

And what is that? A people empowered by the Spirit, proclaiming a completed salvation, announcing the crucified and risen King, so that sins are forgiven in his name.

That’s the kind of “greater” Jesus is talking about. Not greater in power display. Greater in redemptive-history impact. Because when Jesus walked the earth, the cross had not yet happened. The resurrection had not yet happened. Pentecost had not yet happened.

But after those events?

The church carries a message that the world had never heard in its fullness: “It is finished.” The King has conquered. Forgiveness is now proclaimed. New creation has begun.

The “Greater Work” Is the Gospel Going Global

This is where it really got me thinking. Jesus’ public ministry was largely local: Galilee, Judea, Jerusalem. But after He ascends and sends the Spirit, the gospel explodes outward. To cities. To nations. To places with no synagogue, no Scripture literacy, no spiritual framework. And the “works” of believers, ordinary believers, become the Spirit-empowered extension of Jesus’ mission.

John Piper’s point in that interview was simple but profound: Jesus’ works testified to who He is, and our works should also point to Him—with the Spirit making that witness effective in the world.

So the greater works are not “cooler miracles.” The greater works are the normal lives, words, service, witness, and love of God’s people—done in the power of the Holy Spirit—so that people are brought from death to life through the finished work of Christ.

This Changes How I See My Life

It re-centers me.

Because it means the question isn’t: “Am I doing something impressive?”

The question is: “Am I pointing people to the crucified and risen Jesus?”

If my work makes people notice me, but not Jesus, then whatever it is, it’s not the work Jesus is talking about. But if my life, my leadership, my conversations, my prayers, my generosity, my faithfulness in unseen places—if those quietly make Jesus more believable to people… That’s the work of Jesus.

And if through those works, people come into the forgiveness and freedom made possible by the cross and resurrection… That’s the “greater” work. Not because I’m greater. But because the message I carry announces a finished victory.

Greater Works Are Not Flashy — They Are Faithful

This is the part that comforts me.

Because it means “greater works” doesn’t belong only to the loud, the famous, the gifted, or the confident. It belongs to whoever believes.

The single mom who prays over her children. The young professional who lives with integrity. The pastor who keeps showing up when no one claps. The staff member who serves behind the scenes. The disciple-maker who meets one person every week despite the burdens of work and life.

All of it, when done in love and in the Spirit, becomes a witness to Jesus. And one day, we’re going to find out that heaven kept record of a thousand “greater works” the world never applauded.

A Prayer I’ve Been Learning to Pray

So now, when I read John 14:12, I try not to translate it into pressure. I translate it into mission.

I pray something like this:

“Lord, keep me faithful. Not impressive. Faithful. Let my works,my words, my decisions, my service, point to You. And let the Spirit do what only the Spirit can do: bring people into the life You secured through the cross.”

Because the true “greater work” isn’t my greatness. It’s His glory spreading. And that is more than enough to give my life to.