John 2:20
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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The Jews' sharp retort highlights their focus on the physical and temporal, emphasizing the immense human effort and time invested in Herod's grand temple. This immediately contrasts with Jesus' profound, yet veiled, statement about raising a far greater "temple"—His own body—in a mere three days, revealing their inability to grasp spiritual realities.
Jesus has just dramatically cleansed the temple, overturning tables and driving out merchants. When challenged by the Jewish authorities about his authority to do such a thing, Jesus responds cryptically, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." The Jews, misunderstanding him to be speaking literally about the physical temple structure, respond with scoffing disbelief, pointing out the massive, ongoing forty-six-year construction project.
When Jesus spoke of raising the temple in three days, the Jews heard a direct challenge to an ongoing, massive construction project. What was the reality of the Temple's state at that time?
The magnificent Temple in Jerusalem, the glorious center of Jewish worship, was not a finished building in Jesus' day. Herod the Great had begun a massive renovation and expansion project in the 18th year of his reign, around 20-19 BC. While the main structure was completed in about 9.5 years, the work on courtyards, outer courts, and decorative elements continued for decades. By the time of Jesus' confrontation in the Temple, the building process had been ongoing for approximately 46 years. This detail, recorded by Josephus and confirmed by the Gospel's timeline, highlights the immense scale and duration of the project. The Jews' incredulity wasn't just about the timeframe Jesus proposed, but also about his audacity in claiming he could accomplish such a feat, especially given the vast resources and years already invested by human hands.
Jesus' response to the Jews' objection was not a defense of his actions, but a profound redefinition of the very 'temple' they were discussing. What was he truly referring to?
The Jews, hearing Jesus speak of raising 'this temple' in three days, understandably fixated on the physical building. The Greek word used for 'raise up' (egeiro) can indeed mean to build or erect, but it also carries the powerful meaning of 'to raise from the dead.' Jesus masterfully employed this double meaning. While the Jews saw his words as an absurd claim about masonry, Jesus was speaking prophetically about his own body. He was not merely claiming demolition and reconstruction skills; he was alluding to his impending death and resurrection. This was a spiritual truth hidden within a physical context, a radical reinterpretation of 'temple' from a stone structure to the incarnate presence of God among His people.
The Jews' reaction was one of scorn and disbelief. But Jesus' words, though misunderstood at the time, held a future revelation for his followers. How did this moment echo later?
The exchange in the temple reveals a pattern: the Jews, blinded by their literal interpretations and resistance to Jesus, sought to twist his words into ridicule. Their question, 'Will you raise it up in three days?' was dripping with contempt for this Galilean who dared to challenge their sacred space. They would later recall these very words during his crucifixion (Matthew 27:40), twisting them into an accusation. However, for Jesus' disciples, the memory of this event served a different purpose. After his resurrection, they 'remembered' what he had said, and 'believed the Scripture, and the word which Jesus had spoken' (John 2:22). What was initially a point of mockery for the unbelievers became a cornerstone of faith for the believers, a testament to Jesus' divine identity and power over death.
The disbelief of the Jewish leaders in Jesus' statement about raising the temple in three days highlights their focus on the physical structure and its lengthy construction, completely missing Jesus' profound declaration about His own resurrection and the spiritual temple He represents.
c. 20-19 BC
Herod the Great begins Temple renovation
King Herod the Great, seeking to gain favor with the Jewish people, begins a massive and ambitious project to renovate and expand the Second Temple in Jerusalem.
c. AD 27-28
Jesus' ministry begins
Based on Tiberius Caesar's reign and other biblical clues, Jesus is around 30 years old, marking the start of His public ministry.
Spring AD 28— this verse
Jesus cleanses the Jerusalem Temple
Jesus drives out money changers and merchants from the Temple courts, asserting His authority. This event sparks a confrontation with the Jewish leaders.
Spring AD 28
Jewish leaders demand a sign
Challenged by Jesus' actions, the Jewish leaders demand a miraculous sign to validate His authority to do such a thing.
This passage expands on the idea of a 'temple' by referring to our bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit, highlighting Jesus' deeper meaning when he spoke of 'this temple' in relation to his own body.
Hebrews 3:6This passage presents Jesus as superior to the Old Testament structures, directly paralleling Jesus' claim of authority over the physical temple by referring to himself as the true builder and head of God's spiritual house.
Daniel 9:25This prophetic passage speaks of a specific timeframe ('seven weeks') leading up to a significant event, which scholars have historically connected to the temple's construction timeline, adding a layer of divine timing to the Jews' complaint about the years of building.
Matthew 12:6Here, Jesus declares himself 'greater than the temple,' reinforcing his divine authority and hinting that his presence and work are of greater significance than the physical structure, echoing the sentiment behind his 'three days' statement.
John 19:38-42This passage describes the burial of Jesus' body in a tomb, which, when looked back upon by the disciples, would have made them recall Jesus' words about raising 'this temple' in three days, fulfilling the prophecy.
ellicottJohn 2:20: "Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?"
(20) They profess to seek a sign for evidence; they use it for cavil. Forty and six years was this temple in building.—It is implied that it was not then finished. The date of the completion is given by Josephus (Ant. xx. 9, § 7) as A.D. 64. The same author gives the eighteenth year of the reign of Herod the Great (Nisan 734—Nisan 735, A.U.100) as the commencement of the ren…
barnesJohn 2:20: "Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?"
Then said the Jews ... - The Jews, either from the ambiguity of his language, or more probably from a design to cavil, understood him as speaking of the temple at Jerusalem. What he said here is all the evidence that they could adduce on his trial Matthew 26:61 ; Mark 14:58 , and they reproached him with it when on the cross, Matthew 27:40 . The Jews frequently perverted our…
The Jews' sharp retort highlights their focus on the physical and temporal, emphasizing the immense human effort and time invested in Herod's grand temple. This immediately contrasts with Jesus' profound, yet veiled, statement about raising a far greater "temple"—His own body—in a mere three days, revealing their inability to grasp spiritual realities.
Jesus has just dramatically cleansed the temple, overturning tables and driving out merchants. When challenged by the Jewish authorities about his authority to do such a thing, Jesus responds cryptically, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." The Jews, misunderstanding him to be speaking literally about the physical temple structure, respond with scoffing disbelief, pointing out the massive, ongoing forty-six-year construction project.
Jesus has just dramatically cleansed the temple, overturning tables and driving out merchants. When challenged by the Jewish authorities about his authority to do such a thing, Jesus responds cryptically, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." The Jews, misunderstanding him to be speaking literally about the physical temple structure, respond with scoffing disbelief, pointing out the massive, ongoing forty-six-year construction project.
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Spring AD 28
Jesus speaks of the Temple of His body
Jesus responds to their demand by saying, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up,” referring to His own body.
Spring AD 28
Jews misunderstand Jesus' words
The Jewish leaders, taking His words literally and mockingly, point out that the physical Temple took 46 years to build, highlighting the perceived impossibility of His claim.
AD 64
Temple renovation officially completed
The main structure of the Temple, though worked on for decades, is officially declared complete by Josephus, underscoring the long construction period.
"The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?”" — The Jews' sharp retort highlights their focus on the physical and temporal, emphasizing the immense human effort and time invested in Herod's grand temple. This immediately contrasts with Jesus' prof…
