“Truly truly I say to you he who believes in me, the works I do, he will do also. And greater works than these he will do because I go to the Father.”

John 14:12

“Truly truly I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is the one sent greater than the one who sends him.”

John 13:16

“Remember the word that I said to you, a slave is not greater than his master, if they persecuted me, they will also persecute you, if they kept my word, they will keep yours also.”

John 15:20

The works I do, he will do also. If we look at this sentence, the works I do, you will do also, we can substitute a different “work” and perhaps understand better. For instance, “the shoes I make, you will make also.” Let’s put it into perspective. The master cobbler has made his best pair of shoes for three years, and during that time he has taught twelve cobblers to make the same shoes. The same quality shoes of the same resemblance which the old cobbler has instructed them. Two days before his death the cobbler say to his apprentices;

“The doctor says I have two days to live and so now I command you in my name , continue to make these shoes as I instructed you, just the way I showed you these last few years. If you believe in my product and continue to make them according to my instructions, you will make many more pairs of shoes than I did, because I will die in two days.”

After the cobbler’s death, these twelve fully trained cobblers continued in the trade as trained, they make shoes for years and years, perhaps fifty years. In the future years some turn to mass production as technology increases. Most abandon the old methods thinking them to be archaic and tedious. But one cobbler of the twelve continues to make his shoes the same way as he was taught, one pair at a time, one stitch at a time, one tack at a time. Because he makes fewer pairs of shoes than the others he is laughed at and minimalized by the others as a relic.

The shoes of the production cobblers are many thousands more. People see the new styles and colors and buy them with zealous abandon. They wear them out, throw them away, and get another pair. These shoes are cheap to produce and cheap in quality.

The old style cobbler’s shoes are fewer. They look more old fashioned than his contemporaries. Unnoticed by everyone but the cobbler and the ones who buy his product is this; his shoes are still sturdy, lasting, and beyond the growth of those who wear them, they are often handed down and worn by multiple generations. Yes, they are more expensive, but this is because of the care and quality which this old style cobbler has put into them. Still he makes his shoes the way the master cobbler taught him, believing that his product was worth replicating. Those who own them do not throw them away, they hand them down to others because these shoes are built to stand the test of time.

The new style cobblers are living large, rich and fat with the world’s goods. They are sure that they are far more powerful than the old style cobbler and that they know even more than the master cobbler who taught them long ago, after all, look at all the shoes they’ve made compared to him.

What a failure they say among themselves when they look at the less successful, faithful old style shoe maker, still crafting by hand according to the masters teaching. All things considered, they are all still just shoes.

1 Corinthians 3:11-15

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