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What the Fathers say
Eastern Fathers
John Chrysostom
In My name, He says. Thus the Apostles; In the name of Jesus of Nazareth, arise and walk. (Acts 3:6) All the miracles that they did, He did: the hand of the Lord was with them. (Hom. lxxiv. 2) For when the great power of the Son is manifested, He that begat Him is glorified. He introduces this last, to confirm the truth of what He has said.
Theophylact of Ohrid
Explaining to us how one who believes in Him can perform great and wondrous deeds, He says: "If you ask anything in My name." Here He shows us the manner of working miracles: anyone can work miracles through petition and prayer and the invocation of His name. So too the apostles said to the lame man: "In the name of Jesus Christ, rise up and walk" (Acts 3:6). Therefore He did not say "whatever you ask, I will entreat the Father, and He will do it," but rather "I will do it," showing His own authority. …
Western Saints
Augustine of Hippo
Whatsoever ye shall ask. Then why do we often see believers asking, and not receiving? Perhaps it is that they ask amiss. When a man would make a bad use of what he asks for, God in His mercy does not grant him it. Still if God even in kindness often refuses the requests of believers, how are we to understand, Whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, I will do? Was this said to the Apostles only? No. He says above, He that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do also. …
Ambrose of Milan
But if we think it impious to believe that the Father has handed over all judgment to the Son in such a way that he does not have it himself—for he has it and cannot lose what the divine majesty has by its very nature—we ought to consider it equally impious to suppose that the Son cannot give what either men and women can merit or any creature can receive, especially as he himself has said, "I go to my Father, and whatever you shall ask of him in my name, that will I do." For if the Son cannot give what the Father can give, the Truth …
Thomas Aquinas
Now he mentions how these things will be done: first, the way, whatever you ask; secondly, why they will be done, that the Father may be glorified. As to the first, since our Lord said, "and greater works than these will he do," in order that the greatness of the worker might be known from the greatness of the works, some might suppose that one who believes in the Son of God would be greater than the Son. Our Lord excludes this by the way the works are done. …
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