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Christ Confronts Corruption in the Temple
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In these words He referred not only to the destruction of the
Jewish temple and worship, but to His own death—the destruction
of the temple of His body. This the Jews were already plotting. As
the priests and rulers returned to the temple, they had proposed to kill
Jesus and thus rid themselves of the troubler. Yet they took His words
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as applying only to the temple at Jerusalem, and with indignation
exclaimed, “Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt
Thou rear it up in three days?” Now they felt that Jesus had justified
their unbelief, and they were confirmed in their rejection of Him.
Christ knew that His words would be misconstrued by His en-
emies and turned against Him. At His trial and on Calvary they
would be flung at Him. But to explain them now would give His
disciples a knowledge of His sufferings and bring on them sorrow
which as yet they were not able to bear. And an explanation would
prematurely disclose to the Jews the result of their prejudice and
unbelief. Already they had entered on a path which they would
steadily pursue until He should be led as a lamb to the slaughter.
Christ knew that these words would be repeated. Spoken at the
Passover, they would come to the ears of thousands and be carried
to all parts of the world. After He had risen from the dead, their
meaning would be made plain. To many they would be conclusive
evidence of His divinity.
The Saviour’s words, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I
will raise it up,” had a deeper meaning than the hearers perceived.
The temple services were typical of the sacrifice of the Son of God.
The entire plan of sacrificial worship was a foreshadowing of the
Saviour’s death to redeem the world. The ritual economy had no
value apart from Him. When the Jews sealed their rejection of Christ
by delivering Him to death, they rejected all that gave significance
to the temple and its services. Its sacredness had departed. It was
doomed to destruction. From that day sacrificial offerings were
meaningless. In putting Christ to death, the Jews virtually destroyed
their temple. When Christ was crucified, the inner veil of the temple
was rent in twain from top to bottom, signifying that the great final
sacrifice had been made. The system of sacrificial offerings was
forever at an end.
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“In three days I will raise it up.” From the rent sepulcher of
Joseph, Jesus came forth a conqueror. By His death and resurrection