(The Mediterranean Sea, from Caesarea, Israel)
I am reading the NLT and get to John 14:12 - "Anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father." I then read the explanatory footnote for this verse, which reads: "Jesus is not saying that the disciples would do greater works - after all, raising the dead is about as amazing as you can get. Rather, the disciples, working in the power of the Holy Spirit, would carry the Good News of God's Kingdom out of Palestine and into the whole world."
Wow! My thoughts include:
1. Jesus is saying: We will do the same works he has done. Which means, we should expect to see miracles, signs, wonders, deliverances, etc.
2. Jesus is saying: We will do "even greater works." Amazingly (but I think I know why), the NLT commentary directly contradicts what Jesus clearly says. This is the evangelical reductionism I learned in my early years as a Jesus-follower and have broken free from, thanks to studying the biblical texts.
*Eisegesis - to read into the text something that is not there, such as one's own ideas.
