John 2:19-20
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?”
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Here's the key insight: Jesus cleverly uses the word "temple" to speak about his own body, a truth the listeners completely miss. They focus on the physical building, but Jesus is pointing to the true dwelling place of God's presence, which they will eventually destroy but He will powerfully restore.
After Jesus powerfully cleared the Temple courts, religious leaders demanded a sign to prove His authority for such an act. In response, Jesus spoke enigmatically about destroying and rebuilding a temple in three days, a statement that would later be twisted by His accusers but was understood by His disciples after His resurrection as a prophecy of His own body.
Jesus drops a bombshell in response to a demand for a sign. He uses a word with two layers of meaning, and most people miss the deeper one entirely.
When Jesus says, 'Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up,' he's playing on the word 'temple.' The crowds are thinking of the magnificent building of stone and wood – the Second Temple, which had been under construction for decades. But Jesus is speaking about a much more profound 'temple': his own body.
The crowd is stunned by Jesus' boldness in the Temple. Their demand for a sign is met with a prophecy that will ultimately prove his divine authority – but they just don't see it yet.
Jesus’ statement, 'in three days I will raise it up,' is not just a prediction; it’s a bold declaration of his own power. While Scripture often credits the Father with raising Jesus from the dead, Jesus here claims that authority for himself.
Understand the original words
naos · Greek Noun
The dwelling place of God’s presence on earth, originally the tabernacle and later the temple, which symbolizes God’s communion with His people; in the New Covenant, it refers to Christ’s body and subsequently the Church.
lyo · Greek Verb
The act of physically or metaphorically breaking down, causing to come to an end, or ruining something established.
egeiro · Greek Verb
To bring back to life or to lift up from a prostrate or fallen state, specifically used in the New Testament to describe the resurrection of Christ from the dead.
Jesus' cryptic reference to destroying and raising the temple uses a double meaning that would only become clear after his resurrection. The ongoing, massive reconstruction of Herod's Temple provided a tangible, physical backdrop to his spiritual declaration about the temple of his own body.
c. 20 BC - AD 63
Herod's Temple Reconstruction
King Herod the Great began a massive, multi-generational project to expand and beautify the Second Temple in Jerusalem. This ambitious renovation project was still ongoing at the time of Jesus' ministry.
c. AD 27-30— this verse
Jesus Cleanses the Temple
During Passover, Jesus disrupts the temple commerce, overturning tables and driving out merchants and money-changers. This act of zealous authority provokes the Jewish leaders.
c. AD 30
Jesus' Declaration in the Temple
In response to demands for a sign to validate his authority, Jesus cryptically refers to the destruction and rebuilding of 'this temple' in three days, alluding to his own body and resurrection.
c. AD 30-33
Jesus' Ministry and Crucifixion
Jesus continues his ministry, teaching, healing, and performing miracles, culminating in his arrest, trial, and crucifixion in Jerusalem.
This passage echoes Jesus' statement by declaring that believers themselves are God's temple, a profound parallel to Jesus identifying His body as the true temple.
Matthew 12:39Here, Jesus explicitly refers to His resurrection as the 'sign of Jonah,' directly linking the concept of a sign pointing to His death and resurrection, just as He did in John 2:19.
John 10:17Jesus states, 'I lay down my life that I may take it up again,' underscoring His unique authority over His own life and resurrection, which is the core of the 'destroy and raise' statement.
Acts 2:23This verse describes Jesus' crucifixion as being by 'hands of lawless men,' but it was God's foreknowledge and plan that brought it about, aligning with Jesus' passive statement about the temple being destroyed.
1 Corinthians 6:19Similar to how Jesus' body was the temple of God, this passage teaches that believers' bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, highlighting the sacredness of the physical body as a dwelling place for God.
ellicottJohn 2:19: "Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."
(19) Here, as in Matthew 12:38 , a sign is given referring to His resurrection. The sign is in its nature an enigma, meaningless to him who does not seek to understand it, but full of meaning for him who earnestly examines into the thing signified, and in such a form as impresses itself on the memory and educates the moral powers. We have had an example of this enigmatic teaching in John 1…
calvinJohn 2:18-22: "Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things?"
- The Jews then answered and said to him, What sign [51] showest thou to us, that thou doest these things? 19. Jesus answered and said to them, Destroy this temple, and I will raise it up in three days. 20. The Jews therefore said, Forty and six years was this temple in building; and wilt thou raise it up in three days? 21. But he spoke of the temple of his body. 22.…
Here's the key insight:
Jesus cleverly uses the word "temple" to speak about his own body, a truth the listeners completely miss. They focus on the physical building, but Jesus is pointing to the true dwelling place of God's presence, which they will eventually destroy but He will powerfully restore.
After Jesus powerfully cleared the Temple courts, religious leaders demanded a sign to prove His authority for such an act. In response, Jesus spoke enigmatically about destroying and rebuilding a temple in three days, a statement that would later be twisted by His accusers but was understood by His disciples after His resurrection as a prophecy of His own body.
After Jesus powerfully cleared the Temple courts, religious leaders demanded a sign to prove His authority for such an act. In response, Jesus spoke enigmatically about destroying and rebuilding a temple in three days, a statement that would later be twisted by His accusers but was understood by His disciples after His resurrection as a prophecy of His own body.
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Jesus often spoke words that his followers didn't fully grasp until much later. This statement about the temple is a prime example of divine foresight and delayed revelation.
The disciples, just like the crowds, didn't understand Jesus’ words about destroying and raising the temple at the time. They were focused on the physical, the immediate.
This shows us that we don't always need to understand everything immediately. God's Word often plants seeds that will bear fruit later in our lives as we grow in faith and experience His faithfulness.
c. AD 30
Jesus' Resurrection
According to Christian belief, Jesus is resurrected from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion, fulfilling his prophecy.
c. AD 30-60
Disciples Recall Jesus' Words
After Jesus' resurrection, his disciples remember his prophetic words about destroying and rebuilding the temple, understanding them to refer to his body and resurrection.
c. AD 30-36
Temple Destruction Prophecy
Jesus had previously prophesied the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple, which would occur roughly 40 years later. This eventual destruction would give a stark, historical context to his words.
"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?”" — Here's the key insight:
Jesus cleverly uses the word "temple" to speak about his own body, a truth the listeners completely miss. They focus on the physical building, but Jesus is pointing to the tr…
