◄ What Does John 2:19 Mean? ►

The beautiful Temple in Jerusalem was ordained by God to be a sacred house of prayer for all nations. But the religious leaders had become proud and rebellious, and instead of it being used for its hallowed purpose of worship and prayer, the holy Temple of God had become a profane place of ungodly merchandise, dishonest trading, and gross malpractice of unprecedented proportion.

It was at the beginning of His ministry that Jesus entered into this den of thieves and overturned the tables of the unprincipled moneychangers. The love that the Lord Jesus had for His Heavenly Father was openly demonstrated in this righteous action of indignation. His zeal for God was displayed in this defiant act of cleansing the sanctuary of His Father from the filthy practices of sinful men.

It was at the start of His long trek to Calvary, that Christ cleansed God's holy Sanctuary and made a staggering statement that not only baffled all that heard it, but was a salvation truth that has been celebrated down through the centuries by all believers: "Destroy this Temple," was the challenge to His angry onlookers: "Destroy this sanctuary, and in three days I will raise it up." No one but God Himself could confidently issue such a proclamation.

God does not dwell in a temple made with hands, but the Holy Spirit of God was resident within the human body of the God-Man. The Lord Jesus Christ was fully Man yet He was also fully God, and His angry challenge was issued as a prediction of His forthcoming death and glorious Resurrection. After Jesus was raised from the dead, His astonished disciples looked back and remembered all that had transpired on this historic day.

There were others who recalled His words and mocked Him as He hung on the Cross and shed His blood for their sins and ours. The Temple of His Body was destroyed, but through death He conquered him who had power over death (that is the devil), and in three days that same physical Body was raised up so that all who believe in Him, might not perish but have everlasting life.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Jesus. Thank You that Your only begotten Son took on human flesh, was born into the human race, and showed us the way to life everlasting. Thank You that by faith in Him, my body is a temple of the Holy Spirit and I have the indwelling Spirit of God living within my mortal frame. Thank You that death no longer has dominion over me and that because Christ was raised from the dead, I too have received newness of life. And thank You that the day is coming when I will also be clothed in a resurrected body. To You be all praise and glory. In Jesus' name, AMEN.