Jesus Promises to Do Whatever We Ask in His Name

David W Palmer

(John 14:12–13 NKJV) “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do because I go to My Father. {13} And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. {14} If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”

In verse 13, Jesus gave his friends an amazing promise: “Whatever you ask in my name, that I will do.” Wow! When he says this, we could mistakenly hear him say that we can ask him to do anything for us that we like. And then as long as we remember to say, “in the name of Jesus,” at the end of our sentence, he will say, “Yes sir!” After which, he will respond immediately to fulfill our will. But this makes him sound more like our slave than our Lord. So this simply cannot be the meaning of this promise.

We need a true understanding of this verse so we can have it work for us in the way Jesus intended. To make this discovery, we will have to do a few things: look at the meaning of words in the original language; look at the context of this promise; compare it with other passages on the same or similar topics; and ask, “What does he mean by the phrase, “in my name”?

Let’s begin by looking at the immediate context. In the verse prior to this promise (verse 12), Jesus said that whoever believes in him will do greater works than himself. As verse 13’s promise is part of the same speech, it indicates that when he says, “ask in my name,” he is probably talking about healing, miracles, signs, and wonders, etc.—power demonstrations. This makes it less likely that he means asking him to do random things for us.

As we have seen, our amazing Lord says that he will do whatever we ask in his name. When I was a new Christian, the common belief in our circles was that this meant: pray what you want, and just add the phrase, “in Jesus’s name,” on the end. However, the more I have thought about this, I have realized that asking in someone’s name means a lot more than that. Primarily, it implies that the one in whose name you are asking is the one initiating the request. You are merely the mouthpiece to carry it to the intended audience.

So here in this passage, Jesus is saying that he wants us to articulate on earth the things he is “asking” from heaven. When we do, we are asking in his name. It would also refer to permanent or longstanding written instructions. For example, Rosanna and I occasionally look after my sister’s house and pets while she is away. She leaves us written instructions for feeding the animals, bin night, maintenance, and mail collection, etc. If we do these even while she is asleep on the other side of the world, we are doing them in her name, because it is her will for us to do them as long as we are in her house.

Jesus wants us to use his name in both of these ways. If we hear from him via the Holy Spirit to step up and perform an instruction, a request, or a miracle, we do it in his name. In the Bible, we read that he has instructed us to preach his gospel, heal the sick, cast out demons, etc. When we obey this, we do it in his name.

Other passages clearly confirm that the promise in John 14:13 is not about praying our will to Jesus; it is about us doing, commanding, and working miracles in his name:

(John 16:23 NKJV) “And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.”

Here, Jesus says that we are to “ask” him nothing. Instead, he says to ask the Father in his name, and the Father will give to you. This one is a promise about asking the Father for “whatever” in Jesus’s name. The same principle about asking in Jesus’s name applies, but this is clearly a prayer promise. This leads us to wonder about the word, “ask,” used in this verse and in verse 14:13—do they have the identical meanings?

(John 14:13 NKJV) “And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

This is where our search into the original languages comes in. Is the same Greek or Aramaic word used in both verses like it is in our English translation, or is it two completely different words or meanings?

In John 16:23, the first use of the word, “ask,” means to request. Jesus is saying not to make requests to him in his name; instead, our prayer requests are to be directed to our Father in his name. This implies that we are to articulate on earth the very things for which Jesus is asking the Father. In that case, there would be no point in asking them of Jesus; he is the one initiating the request. If he could answer it himself, he wouldn’t need to ask anyone else to do it.

In John 14:13, on the other hand, the word, “ask,” means to require—it is a demand for something due. This certainly doesn’t sound like the way we should approach either Jesus or Father. Our role is to speak the truth in love, ministering grace at all times (Eph. 4:15, 29). We should not be demanding anything of Jesus or Father, and then appending “in Jesus’s name” in an ironic misuse of his name. Jesus did not initiate any demand of his Father. Rather, he said, “Not my will but yours be done” (my paraphrase of Mark 14:36). In my study of the gospels, I have never seen any examples of Jesus demanding anything of his Father. That kind of exigent tone sounds more like the rebellious prodigal son demanding his inheritance from his father.

From our quick comparison with other passages, along with a look at the context, a word study, and an understanding of asking in Jesus’s name, we see that Jesus’s amazing promise of John 14:13 goes perfectly with John 14:12. He promises that we can do greater and more prolific works than he did. This is because there are more of us—and because he has risen victorious over the enemy and has all authority given to him and a name above every name—whatever we demand of demons, sickness, disease, storms, and recalcitrant situations in his name, he will do.

Today, let’s step out in Jesus’s name, guided by his word and led by his Spirit. Let’s put his promise to full use so we can be part of the greater works he longs to see. To help us get this message very clearly, Jesus doubled the promise. In the very next verse he says it again:

(John 14:14 NKJV) “If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”