John 2:19-22

19 Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”

20 Then the Jews said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?”

21 But He was speaking of the temple of His body. 

22 Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.

I Will Raise It Up

How many times was Jesus misunderstood when He was on earth? Jesus is misunderstood in John 2:19 which is not surprising. But here, He is not only misunderstood, but also misquoted! Two false witnesses testified against Jesus on the night that He was arrested. (Mark 19:58, Matt. 26:61) They repeated what Jesus had said in verse 19, but….they misquoted Him. They said that Jesus said that HE would destroy the temple and then rebuild it. And again in Matthew 27:39-40, He was mocked while hanging on the cross for that same statement, but once again…..He was misquoted! They mocked, paraphrasing in my own words, “Hey you! I heard you say you would destroy the temple and then rebuild it in three days! If you can do that, then save yourself!” Jesus actually meant….YOU (speaking to the Jews) will destroy this temple, and I will rebuild it in three days. Of course, we know that He spoke of his death and resurrection. Why did Jesus refer to His body as the temple? Well…the temple was very important to the Jews. It was where God actually dwelt. It held the ark of the covenant which held the stone tablets, which was their law. It held Aaron’s rod, which symbolized the miracles that God performed on their behalf. And it held a bowl of manna, which symbolized God’s blessings as He provided for their needs. Jesus was getting ready to take the place of the physical temple Himself. The high priest had to go into the most holy place to sprinkle blood and make atonement for the people’s sins once a year, only to have sins rolled forward with no actual forgiveness. But…..not anymore! Jesus would shed His blood on the cross one time for all time…..for all people…..past, present, and future. And…..this sacrifice would not just to roll sin forward, but it would actually forgive sin. Jesus would then be our High Priest forever. (Hebrew 6:20, 7:17, 24) At that point, we would all have access to Christ, who is our symbolic spiritual mercy seat….in the most holy place of the temple at any time, and from any place on earth, not just in Jerusalem. Christ is our symbolic temple. We can approach the throne of God through Jesus,  which is parallel to the high priests of the old law approaching the throne of God in the most holy place of the temple. It is so amazing to belong to Christ, and have these blessings in Him!  I also love verse 22 where John lets us know that the disciples remembered Jesus making this statement about the Jews destroying the temple and raising it up in three days, after He was resurrected. Jesus did say in John 14:26 that the Helper would come and help them remember everything that He had said to them while He was on earth. We have complete access to the “Helper” through His wonderful Word. Let’s make sure we aren’t neglecting it. The Word of God which is the Sword of the Holy Spirit is called our “Helper” for a reason. (Ephesians 6:17) But it can’t help us if we don’t open it up and utilize it. Are we letting the Word be our “Helper” daily? 

Are you walking in the light? Are you in Christ? If you aren’t, I’d love to help you. Are you a member of the Lord’s church, but are struggling spiritually in your walk with Christ? If you are…..believe me, I’ve been there many times, and I’d love to help you. If you have any questions, please reach out. 

God’s Plan of Salvation

Below is the plan that God has set forth in His Word, for humankind to receive His grace that leads to salvation and an eternity with God in heaven. This plan is straight from the Bible. 

We have to hear His word. (Romans 10:17) 

Upon hearing the message of Jesus, we believe it. (Mark 16:16) 

Then, we confess Jesus’ name before men. (Matthew 10:32) 

Next, we repent of our sins. (Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19) 

Finally, we are baptized into Christ for the remission of our sins.  (Acts 2:38, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:16, Romans 6:3-4, Acts 22:16, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 3:26-27) After baptism, God adds us to His church. (Acts 2:47)

Then, we remain faithful in our commitment to Christ until death. (Revelation 2:10, 2 Peter 2:20-22)