Hello, I’m Daniel Westfall on the channel “Pray With Me”.

Why did Jesus challenge religious leaders to destroy the temple (John 2:19)?

It happened like this. After he whipped the sheep and cattle out of the temple courtyard and upended the money changers’ tables, the Jews protested, “Show us a sign to prove your authority to do this!” (John 1:18). A reasonable request. 

Jesus replied, “Destroy this temple and I’ll rebuild it in three days” (v. 19). Sounds  unreasonable doesn’t it? 

Jesus’ hearers thought so too. “Hey! It took 46 years to build this temple. And you say you can do it in three days” (v. 20). 

Gospel writer John explained that Jesus wasn’t talking about the temple building in front of them (v. 21). 

Who knew? Not the disciples, not the Jews standing in front of that huge temple. In fact, John says nobody understood until three years later when Jesus was raised from the dead. Then the disciples said, “Oh, his destroy-and-build-the-temple story was about himself. He meant, destroy me and I’ll come back in three days.”

Really. Quite a strange story at the beginning of John’s gospel. Here are some thoughts. 

1. This is the first time in the Bible that someone’s body is described as a temple. I wouldn’t think to call a living, breathing human body a temple. But Jesus did. Pagan gods reside in pagan temples. The living God has come to live in you. Paul says, Treat your body with care because it’s God’s temple, the place where he resides (1 Cor 3:16-19). 

2. A second point. Jesus had a reputation as a great teacher, but this time he just confused his listeners. To the Jews, he wasn’t much more than an arrogant windbag claiming he could rebuild a huge temple in three days! It took almost half a century to build that temple, and Jesus wanted to do it in half a week?

John places this story early in his gospel to warn us that the simple, obvious, and literal meaning of what Jesus says is not always the right meaning. Jesus hid his lessons in metaphors and parables. His words were not what they seemed. He let people stew in wrong meanings, without correcting errant understanding. Do you understand Jesus’ words? 

Modern, rational scripture readers delight in explaining and expanding. English grammar and Greek definitions, parsing subtle nuances in major points. Perhaps we need John’s caution that literal meanings are not always correct, that Jesus sometimes hides his intention. 

Let’s pray. 

O Jesus, you stood before a huge temple of wood and stone, and spoke mysteriously of destruction and rebuilding. Three years later, the temple of your body was crucified and resurrected.

As we search the literal meaning of things spiritual, help us see beyond your plain words, to the spirit and truth of what you said and who you are. 

When you speak of temples, help us not to look aimlessly at temples of wood and stone. When you speak of the rapture and the tribulation, help us not to create charts and movies about who is taken and who is left behind. 

We trust you to reside in our living temples, in our lives and the lives of your followers. We trust you will bring us to reside in the eternal dwellings you are preparing.

Amen.

I’m Daniel, on the channel “Pray with Me”.  

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