14th April 2025

The Real Temple

Jesus said: “Destroy this temple,

and in three days I will raise it up.”

 John 2:19

Today's Bible Reading: John 2:13-21.

In the late 90s, in the Oxfordshire village of Appleton, a demolition company bulldozed the wrong house. Investigators believe that the owner of a house scheduled to be demolished nailed the numbers of his own address to a neighbour’s house to avoid demolition.

The Lord Jesus did the opposite. He was on a mission to let His own “house” be torn down for the sake of others. Imagine the scene and how confused everyone must have been, including the Lord's own disciples. Picture them eyeing one another as He challenged the religious leaders. “Destroy this temple,” Christ said, “and I will raise it again in three days” (John 2:19). The leaders retorted indignantly, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” (v 20). But Jesus knew He was referring to the temple of His own body (v 21). They did not.

Neither did they understand that He had come to show that the harm we do to ourselves and to one another would ultimately fall on Him, and He would atone for it.

God has always known our hearts far better than we do. So He did not entrust the fullness of His plans even to those who saw His miracles and believed in Him (v 23–25). Then as now He was slowly revealing His love and goodness in the words of the Lord.

Prayer: Father of Heaven and Earth, thank You, for the real Temple, Your Son Jesus Christ, and His work on the cross for me. Amen.