January 10
JOHN 2
18 So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews then 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 about the temple of his body. 22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.
– John 2:18-22
JOHN 2 JESUS FORETELLS HIS DEATH & RESURRECTION
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
When asked under whose authority did he have to clear the temple
Jesus told them that if they destroy the temple, he’ll raise it up in 3 days
The Jews didn’t understand and thought it was impossible for him to do so
They didn’t understand that he was foretelling him his death & resurrection
He was referring to his own body that was going to be destroyed on the cross
And because he was God, he can resurrect and conquer death without any trouble.
As we read in the gospels, Jesus always spoke in parables and in language that only his disciples could have had the privilege to know after he explained it to them. Some instances, they get straight revelation from God’s Spirit himself.
In this account, the Jews were doing their best to catch him to blaspheme so they could stop his popularity. They felt so threatened with his teachings and miracles. They were doing their best to find a reason to put him to death. So, when they asked who he thought he was that he could hurl and whip the animals and stop the vendors from selling their goods in the temple, they were trapping him. Because they were adamant to find reason to do so, his answer was taken literally by the Jews. They already have made up their mind that he was making them look small and will take any word he said and twist it. They had no idea that they did what they did in order to fulfill the prophecy that he will be crucified in order to save mankind.
REFLECTION
• How is it that literal words cannot truly explain spiritual things as in this case?
