“Destroy This Temple And In 3 Days I Will Raise It Up”

A study of John 2:18–22

“So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking about the temple of his body. When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.”
‭‭John‬ ‭2‬:‭18‬-‭22‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Definitions of the original language in the context of this passage:

-Jews: “Ioudaios”, “Ἰουδαῖος”; adjective — The apostle John, in his day looked upon the Jews as a body of men hostile to Christianity, with whom he had come to see that both he and all true Christians had nothing in common as respects religious matters. Those who opposed his divine Master and his Master’s cause, especially the rulers, priests, members of the Sanhedrin, Pharisees. The hatred of these leaders exhibited the hatred of the whole nation (John 1:11) toward Jesus.

-Sign: “sēmeion,”, “σημεῖον”; neuter noun — of miracles and wonders by which God authenticates the men sent by him, or by which men prove that the cause they are pleading is God’s.

-Do You Show: “deikynō”, “δεικνύω”; verb — bring to pass, produce what can be seen.

-Destroy: “lyō”, “λύω”; verb — to loose what is compacted together, to break up, demolish, destroy.

-Temple: “naos”, “ναός”; masculine noun — ναός is used of the sacred temple of Jerusalem but only of the sanctuary itself containing the Holy place and the Holy of holies, also called “δόμος (dōmos), σηκός (oikos),” which is to be distinguished from the “τό ἱερόν (hieron)” meaning the whole temple and all its enclosures and courts.

-Days: “hēmera”, “ἡμέρα”; feminine noun — of the civil day, or the space of 24 hours.

-I Will Raise: “egeirō”, “ἐγείρω”; verb — of buildings, to raise, construct, erect.

-To Build: “oikodomeō”, “οἰκοδομέω”; verb — to build up from the foundation.

-Body: “sōma”, “σῶμα”; neuter noun — the living body.

-The Dead: “nekros”, “νεκρός”; adjective — destitute of life, without life, deceased.

-Remembered: “mimnēskomai”, “μιμνῄσκομαι”; verb — to recall to mind; remember for good.

-They Believed: “pisteuō”, “πιστεύω”; verb — the creedence given to God’s messengers and their words.

-Scripture: “graphē”, “γραφή”; feminine noun — the Scripture, used to denote either the book itself or its contents; a certain portion or section of the Holy Scripture.

-Word: “logos,” “λόγος”; masculine noun — what someone has said, a saying.

Observation/Summary (short explanation of what the passage says in your own words):

After driving out the money changers and merchants who had turned the outer court of the temple, a place of worship, into a marketplace where greed abounded with a whip made of rope, the leading Jews asked Jesus for a miraculous sign to confirm His authority to have done so. Jesus responded by telling them to destroy “this temple” and He would raise it back up in three days. They were incredulous because the temple of Jerusalem they stood in had taken 46 years to build. But they did not understand Jesus was talking about His physical body. In the future His disciples would remember He said this as they came to understand He was talking about His death and resurrection 3 days later.

Implication (what does this mean to us):

After Jesus cleansed the temple by driving all the greedy merchants and bankers out with a whip made of rope, the Jewish leaders came to question Him. Notice, after this spectacular event they came and asked for a sign as proof of His authority to do so. Knowing how much the ruling religious leaders loved laws and rules, if they could have pointed to a rule or moral law Jesus had broken they would have but they had none. They knew they were allowing the temple of God to be defiled with egregious displays of avarice against people who had come to worship. They cannot come to Jesus and question the morality of His actions, because as in all things, His intentions and actions were pure. So, instead they ask for some sort of miraculous sign to show He has authority from God to do what He had done.

We should not be too harsh in our evaluation of their motives. What Jesus just did in cleansing the temple was pretty intense. Their question of His authority was reasonable, but I think it is reasonable to assume their pricked consciences were looking for a way to justify the market they had set up in a place God had designated for worship. They already had God’s Word to tell them what the temple grounds were for, and they did not need a miraculous sign to show them their error. How often do we persist in doing what we know is wrong and then react with incredulity when either a loved one confronts us or we feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit? When we feel this conviction, do we submit to God’s loving correction given through either a loved one or by His Spirit, or do we demand another sign for why we should do or believe what we already know to be right and true? The successful driving out of all the merchants, bankers and livestock by one Man was already sign enough, and the Word we have from God, illuminated for us by the Holy Spirit, and miraculously preserved through the ages, is already sign enough for us.

Instead of performing a sign, Jesus prophesied one He will do. He told the Jewish leaders, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” Confused, they responded by saying it took 46 years to build this temple, how could you raise it up in three days? Well, first, they asked for a miraculous sign, and what they thought Jesus described would have been a miraculous sign. So, even though they misunderstood, their incredulity I think reveals a lack of sincerity on their part in asking for a sign. They asked for a sign and Jesus described one, and they immediately responded by implying the miraculous sign He proposed would be impossible. Well, yes, of course it would be impossible under normal circumstances, that is what makes “signs” miraculous demonstrations of God’s power. They should have simply nodded or asked for clarification, but their response reveals their lack of desire for one. When Jesus proposed a sign He would show, they immediately challenged the validity and possibility of it.

Whatever their motives were in asking this question, they thought He meant the temple building complex they stood in, which, to be fair, if they destroyed it, Jesus could miraculously build it back up in three days, but of course we know from verse 21 Jesus was speaking about the temple of His body. And this was a prophecy. These same Jewish leaders would be the ones to arrest Jesus and lead the effort to have Him unjustly murdered. As we read from Matthew 26:60–61 and Mark 14:57–59, even this statement from Jesus was twisted and used as a false charge against Him where people came forward saying Jesus said He would destroy the temple, when He really said, if they destroyed this temple He would raise it up. These same words were also twisted and thrown at him as insults during His crucifixion (Mark 15:29, Matthew 27:40). They did not really want a sign. They wanted justification for continuing in the sinful misuse of the temple grounds and exploitation of the people who came to worship there.

I think the word Jesus used for temple in reference to His body is significant too. He does not use the word “hieron” which would describe the entirety of the temple complex with its outer courts. The word translated from ancient Greek in this passage as “temple” is “naos,” and naos specifically describes the sacred building containing the Holy of Holies where the presence of God dwelt. Prior to the redemptive work of Christ, only the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies at specific times to offer sacrifice to atone for sin on behalf of the nation. Any slight misstep would result in the High Priest being struck dead because of the perfect holiness of God. But now, Jesus is saying His body is the Holy of Holies where the glory of God resides (Colossians 2:9). Because of the redemptive work of Christ, Christians are no longer separated from God. Jesus tore the veil separating us from the Holy of Holies (Matthew 27:51), the presence of God, and we now enter through His blood, or we might say, the veil of His flesh. Our sin has been cleansed and there no longer remains any barrier keeping us from God. We no longer come to Him through Old Testament priests and animal sacrifice. Jesus is the all sufficient sacrifice for the sin of the whole world, and our great High Priest who has gone before the Father to offer sacrifice on our behalf, and we enter through Him.

Jesus’ reference to His body as a temple was pointing forward to the day we now live in where we do not worship God primarily in a specific, geographical location. As He will tell the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4:21, the day was coming when God will be worshiped neither in Jerusalem nor on the mountain the Samaritans worshiped on. Jesus, as fully God and fully man, has the fullness of God indwelling His physical body, so His body is a temple. As Christians, we have the Holy Spirit, the fullness of God in us, and our bodies are now temples to God too (1 Corinthians 6:19). And this miraculous sign is performed immediately for every Christian when they first repent of their sin and confess Jesus as Lord and Savior (Romans 10:9–10).

Jesus also says if they destroy this temple that is His body, He will raise it up in three days. Jesus boldly declared if they killed Him He would raise Himself back to life three days later, and this is of course exactly what will happen. He is also recorded making the same claim in John 10:18. Interestingly, in Romans 6:4 and Galatians 1:1 we read God the Father raised Jesus from the dead, and in Romans 1:4 and 8:11, God the Holy Spirit raised Jesus from the dead. From this we learn each member of the Trinity worked together, as in all things, in perfect unity in the raising of Jesus from the dead. This is further evidence of Jesus’ specific claims to deity. A man might claim God would raise Him from the dead, but Jesus claims He would raise Himself. Who could have the power to raise the dead except God Himself? Jesus knew He is God, and He declares Himself to be so in numerous ways throughout the gospel accounts.

Lastly, these words were something the disciples would reflect on later, after His death and resurrection; as verse 22 says, they would remember He had said this and believe “the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.” There was much Jesus said and did which the disciples would only come to understand after His resurrection (John 12:16, 20:9, Luke 24:8). This does not point to stupidity on their part. This points to the fact that knowledge and understanding come from God, and He reveals or withholds understanding and knowledge all in His wise and good timing. After Jesus rose, the disciples remembered words like this, and Scripture such as Psalm 16:10 which says, “For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.” The Old Testament spoke of a Holy One who would not remain in the grave and see corruption of either body or soul, and Jesus also said He would die but not remain dead. Even knowing all this though, the disciples could not fully understand how Jesus had fulfilled the prophecy until Jesus “opened their minds to understand the Scriptures” as it says in Luke 24:45.

All of Jesus’ promises past, present and future will come true. How much do we have to look forward to that we do not fully understand now? This makes me think about the prophecy we have in Revelation. There is so much hope for the Christian in Revelation. The promise of Jesus’ return, final conquering and judgment of sin, and establishment of His glorious Kingdom where there is no sorrow, pain or death anymore forever is such a powerful source of encouragement for us in this broken world. But there is also much in Revelation that is difficult to understand. There is much that, in our finitude and sinfulness, we cannot come to a complete understanding of apart from Jesus opening our minds to understand and likely until we, like the 12 disciples at the end of Luke’s gospel, look back at the fulfilled prophecy of Revelation one day and wonder how we could have misunderstood certain points.

We, like the 12 disciples prior to Jesus’ resurrection, have an incomplete view of future events revealed to us through glorious prophecy. Some very important facts are clear, such as, Jesus is coming back to judge the earth and establish His Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. But many of the particular details about how that will unfold are not so clear. These less clear details are fun to study because we as Christians are excited about the wonderful things our Lord has planned, but we must not let our interest in this turn into arguments and division. We need to unify on the primary and clearly defined doctrines of salvation and how we are to live and serve, but esoteric, difficult to understand parts of prophecy should never divide us. They are fascinating to study, and I enjoy doing so myself, but I say this, because sadly, many Christians do divide over such issues, and they lose sight of our mission to unify as we fulfill the great commission given to us to seek and save the lost, and encourage and build up the church.

Often those who divide over issues like eschatology (study of end times) claim a wrong eschatological understanding will lead a person to either think that the world is going down so we should not care about it, or the world is getting better and better so what we do does not matter because everything is all taken care of. Both of these are oversimplifications but the point I am making is that they are both irrelevant for true Christians. Whatever your eschatological view, our call in the great commission is to make disciples, and to form and teach disciples, showing the love of Christ to the world with our words and actions. No Christian, whatever their eschatological understanding can ignore the express commands for how we are to live in Scripture.

However we think the future is going to unfold, we have been given our marching orders for how to live now. Whether it makes sense to us or not, we obey. Like the servants who obeyed Jesus without questioning in John 2:7 by filling large stone jars with water when they knew they needed wine, we must obey whether we see the point in it or not. Obey your Lord and fill the jars to the brim. For this reason eschatological views and other secondary doctrines are not to be divided over. The argument that we should divide over such issues because the view contrary to ours will result in lax or sinful living now is erroneous. Apart from any eschatological or secondary doctrinal understandings we have, the primary doctrine of salvation and the clear commands of Christ for how we are to live and serve are clear. If Christians remain faithful to what is clearly commanded and defined in Scripture, we can, should and must on the authority of Scripture (1 Cor. 1:10–17) unify around our God given commission to make and form disciples of Jesus.

This should never discourage us from reading and drawing encouragement from the prophecy we have of future days. But it should give us a humble mindset wherein we acknowledge our finitude and sinfulness prevents us from fully understanding every jot and tittle of Scripture. Like the 12 disciples of Jesus who had OT prophecy of a Messiah, and knew One was coming, but did not fully understand what that would look like, we too have an incomplete understanding of what the future will look like. We know what we need to know. Jesus is coming back to judge the earth and establish His glorious Kingdom. Beyond this and other certain and clear details, we can and should enjoy studying more, but we should humbly acknowledge our finite understanding and never squabble over secondary matters. Discussion about the future promises of God should be a source of encouragement between us as believers, even when our interpretations do not agree, and never a source of conflict and dissension.

Application (How does this change how I think, act and pray?):

This passage should cause us to prayerfully think about where we know how we should be living or thinking, but have chosen not to. Do we seek further signs from God about why or how we should cleanse the temple courts of our hearts when we already know the way in which we are to live?

This passage should cause us to consider the destruction and raising up three days later of Jesus’ temple, or physical body, as a real historical event which He predicted would happen beforehand. We should also think about how our bodies are now temples to Him. As we think about how, by the power of His Spirit, we are to submit willingly to His cleansing of us, we should also take encouragement from the fact that when our temple, or body, dies, Jesus will raise us up too.

Self Reflection:

Is there any area of my life where I am demanding further signs or information from God before I do what I already know He has commanded me to do?

How does the fact that my body is a temple to the God of the universe affect how I view the seriousness of sinning in this body (temple)? Would I commit the same sinful acts I do or have committed with my body in the “naos”, or, Holy of Holies?

How does the fact that God graciously cleanses me of all my sin and will raise me back to life in spirit and body one day give me hope in the daily struggles of life right now?

#JesusChristisLord #TempleOfGod #resurrection #promise #hope