And In Three Days I Will Raise It Up

John 2:18-22
April 10, 2022
Abraham Hong

Sermon Script

The story of today’s passage is simple. This is what happened. Jesus cleansed the temple. The temple was supposed to be about the promise of salvation from sin and from death. The temple was supposed to be about how God would one day provide his people with something amazing: an everlasting home with him, a forgiven relationship with him, and a resurrection life with him.

But people made the temple about them. And people turned the temple into a place of trade, money, personal profit, and worldly gain. So Jesus cleansed the temple. He removed the animals and the money-changers and the coins and tables. The Son of God had zeal for his Father’s house.

But when the Jews saw Jesus cleanse the temple, they confronted Jesus. And they questioned Jesus’ authority. The Jews asked, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” It was as if they were asking Jesus, “Who do you think you are? What right do you have to do what you did? Who gave you authorization to cleanse the temple? Do you think that you are God?”

Little did they understand that Jesus is indeed God. Jesus is the second person of the Triune God. Jesus is the Word. Jesus indeed had authority to cleanse the temple. The temple was ultimately about him.

But the Jews nevertheless wanted Jesus to show them something that would prove his authority in all of this. So Jesus told them something amazing.

Jesus told them that if they put him to death, then he will resurrect. If they consume him and destroy him on the cross, then in three days he will be raised to life. That would be the proof of his authority in all of this. Jesus’ resurrection would be the sign for the Jews - the proof to them of his authority, his divinity, his power and glory.

And so Jesus said, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”

But these words didn’t make sense for the Jews. They took Jesus literally and thought that Jesus was talking about the physical building of the temple and the fact that it took forty-six years to build. And so they thought that Jesus was speaking nonsense. They didn’t understand Jesus. They said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?”

These words didn’t make sense for the Jews. But that’s okay. These words were not ultimately meant to be heard by the Jews. These words were ultimately meant to be heard by the disciples.

The narrator tells us that when Jesus actually did resurrect from the dead, the disciples remembered this moment. They remembered Jesus saying, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” They understood that Jesus was speaking about the temple of his body. And they saw that everything Jesus said was true.

The Jews did consume and destroy Jesus. They crucified Jesus. Jesus died and was buried. But in three days, on the first day of the week, Jesus rose from the dead. The disciples witnessed Jesus’ resurrection. And when Jesus rose from the dead, they remembered these amazing words from Jesus. And they therefore believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.

The resurrection of Jesus meant that everything about him is true. The resurrection of Jesus meant that everything in the Bible is true. And when Jesus resurrected from the dead, everything started to really make a lot of sense to them. Praise the Lord!

Dear Highland, the resurrection of Jesus means that everything about him is true. Believe in Jesus. The resurrection of Jesus means that everything in the Bible is true. Believe what the Bible says. The resurrection of Jesus means that God’s salvation for you and God’s love for you and God’s forgiveness of you and God’s promise of eternal life for you is all true.

Therefore, believe. Believe that God saved you. Believe that God loves you. Believe that God has forgiven you. Believe in God’s promise of eternal life for you. It’s all true.

Dear Highland, perhaps you may doubt Christianity. Perhaps you may think that our faith is just another man-made religion and that it’s not really real. Perhaps you may want to stop believing in Jesus or coming to church because it’s starting to feel like a waste of time or it’s not worth it. Perhaps you may be tempted to just live a worldly life on your own without Jesus.

Believe me when I say this. I’ve thought all of these things. I’ve gone through all of these moments. There have been very scary times in my life that were full of darkness and despair. I’ve wondered if Christianity was real. I’ve wondered if the Bible was real. I’ve wondered if Jesus was real. And I’ve wondered if I’m just wasting my life.

But by God’s grace, whenever I thought and wondered such things, I would think about Jesus’ resurrection. And when I think about Jesus’ resurrection, I believe that Jesus rose again from the dead. And when I think about Jesus’ resurrection, I know for sure what is real.

Because Jesus rose again from the dead, you know that Jesus is the Son of God. You know that Jesus is God. You know that Jesus is the Word. You know that Jesus is coming back.

Because Jesus rose again from the dead, you know that Jesus has defeated sin and death. You know that all of your sins are forgiven. You know that you will have resurrection life too. For Jesus’ resurrection is to us a sure pledge of our glorious resurrection.

Because Jesus rose again from the dead, you have new life right now. You know that you are being sanctified. You know that you will grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ.

Highland, take profound comfort in the fact that Jesus rose from the dead. Jesus rose from the dead on a Sunday, on the first day of the week. Come to church, worship God, and be comforted each and every Lord’s Day, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Soli Deo Gloria