wide extent. If our Lord had ascribed this power of doing
greater works than Himself in His earthly life, to apostle, prophet, or
illustrious saint, we should have required no special assurance of its
deliberate truth; but to learn that powers so transcendent are within
the reach of any ordinary believer, to learn that any one who believes
may outdo the miracles on the outskirts of Nain, and at the tomb of
Bethany, is as startling as it is comforting. There is no reason why
the humblest soul that ponders this page should not become the medium
and vehicle through which the Christ of the glory shall not surpass the
Christ of Galilee, Jerusalem, and Judea.
The best method of treating these words is to take them clause by
clause as they stand.
I. THE FIRST NOTE IS FAITH.--"He that believeth on Me." Three
varieties of faith are alluded to in the context. Faith in His works:
"Believe the works." Faith in His words: "Believe Me." Faith in
Himself, as here. In the Greek the preposition translated _in_, would
be better rendered _into_, as though the believer was ever approaching
the heart of Christ in deeper, warmer, closer fellowship; perpetual
motion _toward_, combined with unbroken rest _in_. Each of these three
forms of faith plays an important part in the Christian life.
Arrested by the works of Christ--His irresistible power over nature,
His tender pity for those who sought His aid, the blessed and
far-reaching results of His miracles--we cry with Nicodemus, "Verily,
this is a Teacher come from God; for none can do such miracles, except
God be with him." The Master perpetually appealed to the witness borne
by His works to His Divine mission, as when He said, "If I had not done
among them the works which none other did, they had not had sin, but
now have they both seen and hated both Me and My Father." And again,
"The very works that I do bear witness of Me." But at the best the
works of Christ are only like the great bell ringing in the
church-tower calling attention to the life being unfolded within, and
are not calculated to induce the faith to which the greater works are
possible.
Next we come to the words of Christ. They are spirit and life: they
greatly feed the soul. He speaks as none other has ever spoken of the
mysteries of life, death, God, and eternity. It is through the words
that we come to the Speaker. By feeding on them we are led into vital
union with Himself. But His words, as suc
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