Where the Power Lies

   If you want to read one of the funnier exchanges between Jesus and his disciples, read John 14.  Here is a little taste.

   "Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.  In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.  And you know the way to where I am going."

   Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?"

   Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.  If you had known me, you would have known my Father also.  From now on you do know him and have seen him."

   Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us."

   Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?  Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works.  Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves."

   The funniest part of this exchange is when Thomas say, "We don't know where you're going.  How can we know the way?"  And Jesus replies with what must have been a confusing answer.  Thomas, I think, was asking for directions, and Jesus answers, "I am the way."  Isn't that just like the Lord?  We ask for directions and He gives us Deep Truth.  We ask for a practical, workable solution we can put our hands on, and He answers with, "Get to know me."  Our God is impractical.  That is something I have learned to love about God, that He is never practical.  He hasn't called us to be practical; He has called us to be powerful.

   Jesus says something astounding in this passage, and it is this: "The words that I say I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works."  Jesus is telling Phillip where the Power lies.  The power lies in the Father, and even Jesus is not above this.  Jesus, who up to this point has done some amazing works - healing, teaching, multiplying food, turning water to wine - only did what he did because he submitted to the will of the Father.  Jesus did what God said and he walked in incredible power.

   I want to remind us of something Jesus says in this same passage.  He says, "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."  Jesus is not only reminding us that the Power lies with the Father, but that he is the way to the Father, and there is more Power to come once Jesus rejoins the Father in heaven.  If you're like me, this concept seems insensible.  It would seem more sensible that there would be greater works on earth while Jesus was here, not after he left.  That's certainly what the disciples thought.  Their biggest worry was this talk from Jesus about his leaving.  Peter does just about everything he can to keep Jesus on earth; even goes so far as to deny he knows his savior.  Remember this: you can't make Jesus do what you want him to do, or be what you want him to be.  He does what the Father says, period.

   This is where the Power lies: in the Father's words.  What God says has power behind it because God is truth and God is love.  He is not a man that He should lie.  Did you know that there is life in the words of God?  That the very words He speaks contain life for us?  There is gigantic power in God's words, and here's the big bonus: He speaks to his children.  Our God is not a silent god, He speaks and His words are powerful.  I cannot overstate this, so I'll say it again: the Power lies in the words of the Father.   Want to see some power in your life?  Ask the Lord what He says and speak it out over someone; or over yourself.  And see what happens.

   The answer to why we can do greater works than Jesus is, of course, the Holy Spirit.  The Father speaks to us through His Holy Spirit, which resides in those of us who believe.  Jesus tells us we will do greater works than him because he left to go to the Father.  Not in spite of the fact that he left, but because of it.  He knew when he was telling the disciples this that the Holy Spirit would come.  The Helper was on the way.  But you can't blame Thomas or Phillip, or even Peter.  They didn't know the Holy Spirit was coming, and that the Power would come with Him.  But boy oh boy did the Spirit come.  And boy oh boy does the Spirit show up powerfully when we listen to the voice of the Father.

   In my little body of believers in my little space on this planet we are trying to go after the heart of God and walk in the power of His Spirit.  It's an odd thing that catches us off guard a lot.  There are lots of awkward moments; sometimes we miss what He's saying, or we interpret it needlessly, or we chicken out on saying it.  Sometimes we hit the nail(s) on the head(s) and it's powerful and we walk away glowing.  But we're trying and I think He is pleased, because we're listening.  We want to hear His words and see His power, not for the sake of the Power, but yes for the sake of the Power.  Like Jesus said, "Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves."  We want to do the works of God so that we're reminded not only that Jesus in in the Father and vice versa, but because this also means that we are in the Father and the Father is in us.  Because there is Power in knowing that.