Outdoing Jesus: Seven Ways to Live Out the Promise of "Greater Than"

by Doug Pagitt

Is it sacrilegious to claim that ordinary people can do greater works than Jesus? “ Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these ” (John 14:12).  Taking these words of Jesus seriously,  Outdoing Jesus  shows how the seven actions of Jesus that the Gospel of John singles out as special “signs” challenge us to live into a greater future. When Jesus asserts that his followers “will do even greater things than these,” he is calling for us to extend his miracles for the benefit of all of humanity. Only a master teacher wants students to do greater than their master! Doug Pagitt uses the works and teachings of Jesus as lenses through which we see what the kingdom of God would look like if it were “at hand.” We see how developments in humanities, medicine, science, technology, philanthropy, structural design, and social justice are bringing about the agenda of God for the world; and how we can participate.  Outdoing Jesus  is not only insightful biblical theology but a robust call to dare great things in pursuit of human flourishing.

187 pages, Paperback

Published August 20, 2019

About the author

Doug Pagitt is the head pastor of Solomon's Porch in South Minneapolis and a Senior Fellow with Emergent Village: a generative friendship of missional church leaders around the world and a leading architect of the emergent church discussion.

Reviews

[Michael Balonek · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these…"

Greater things...than the miracles of Jesus?? Is this something that you or I think about or acknowledge in our lives? Have any of us ever even heard a sermon about surpassing Jesus' miraculous signs?

Yet, Jesus Himself made a definitive declaration. They "will do even greater things than these." Outdoing Jesus by Doug Pagett explores this promise, this statement, this word of Jesus. Yet, he points out, perhaps these "greater things" are not "bigger miracles" as we might think upon an initial reading. The miracles themselves usually pointed to larger truths about the nature of God and humankind's response. No, Jesus said "GREATER things," not necessarily "BIGGER miracles."

Pagett outlines the miracles in the Gospel of John. With each miracle, Pagett details at least one way that this miracle on a larger scale would better humanity and the human condition while in these earthly bodies. He then looks at ways in which humankind is indeed now tackling these issues on a larger scale, affecting larger amounts of people rather than the few that each of Jesus's miracles physically helped.

For the typical individualistic American Evangelical reader, books like this may make them uncomfortable at times, as it seems to advocate for works of social justice to be done both inside and outside of the church. Jesus Himself however said to "love your neighbor as yourself," not "love your neighbour as an agenda to get him to attend your weekly meeting." As members of Pagett's Minnesota Church Solomon's Porch recite as part of their weekly liturgy, followers of Jesus are therefore called "to be a benefit and blessing to all the world." Indeed, when asked about the nature of "who is my neighbour," Jesus responded with the least-likely, highly despised, apostate of people, indicating that indeed everyone fits into the category of "neighbour."