John 2:19-22
Verse 21 But the temple He had spoken of was His body.
As if the actions of flipping tables, scattering coins and cracking the whip weren’t confusing enough for the Jewish leaders, Jesus answered their question about who gave Him authority with a comment about if they tore down the temple He would rebuild it in 3 days. Of course to complete such a task would have been quite a feat and that is exactly how the leaders took His response.
It had taken over 4 decades to get the Temple rebuilt and they were quite proud of their building. We see from their response how limited their thinking was. They didn’t have a spiritual understanding of the Temple, a true knowledge of what God was using the Temple to point to, the promised Messiah. They couldn’t get past the physical idea of religion to see the truth of what God was trying to show His people.
The religious leaders weren’t the only ones who didn’t understand what He was talking about. The disciples hadn’t agreed to follow the new teacher to start building projects. He may have been the son of a carpenter but they had not grown up knowing the trade and while they may be able to learn a few things about building it would take more than 3 days to learn how to build something as grand as the Temple.
While everyone hearing Jesus speak those words may have been confused by what He was saying, He spoke with a confidence which left no room for doubt. He didn’t say He MAY be able to rebuild it in three days, but He WOULD do it. Of course He knew which Temple He was talking about but even if they understood, some would not have believed. Resurrection of the dead wasn’t a widely believed possibility. At this point in Jesus’ career they didn’t have examples of anything like that happening.
By referring to His body as the Temple Jesus was setting the foundation for His followers to see their own bodies as temples. Around 40 years after this event the Temple would be destroyed and still is not rebuilt. This is what the Jews still wait for. After Jesus rose again that Sunday during the Passover/Unleavened Bread Festival a few years later, His disciples would remember His comments from this discussion and it would spur them on past mere belief in the Lord to be His messengers to all the earth.
Making It Personal
Do you view yourself as a temple of the Lord? How does that thinking change how you view your body? What does Jesus’ resurrection mean to you?
Making It Personal Kids
How are you to treat the church building? Why would Jesus say your body is like a temple? Do you treat your body as if it belongs to Jesus?
Closing Prayer
Father, it is so easy to forget we belong to You and should be fully devoted to You – body, mind and soul. Help us see ourselves as living testaments to who You are and what You do. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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