Joel M Bradshaw

18So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” 19Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple,^c and will you raise it up in three days?” 21But he was speaking about the temple of his body. 22When 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, with emphasis

I underlined the verse that stood out to me this morning. It implies that when Jesus originally spoke those words that the disciples didn’t understand. They might have even been as confused as the Jewish religious leaders that day. The Sanhedrin would later use this episode as evidence in the sham trial they threw for Jesus (Mark 14:58) and passersby would use it as an insult when Jesus hung on the cross (Matthew 27:40). This was actually a big moment of prophecy when you consider the importance of Jesus’ resurrection.

And they didn’t get it until much later after the fact. It’s as if they were sitting around after the resurrection and God brought to their mind this very moment. I wonder if they looked back with regret at not understanding. In their shoes, I might have felt kind of stupid or silly and wondered what else I had missed!

But John informed us here that this whole process of remembering led to belief and faith. One of the reasons I trust God to provide is that I have seen him provide for me in the past. He has brought me through extremely difficult seasons. I therefore trust Him to bring me through any new challenging times. As I remember God’s past faithfulness, my present attitude changes.

Our present faith responses are nourished by remembering our faithful God. These memories change the story you tell yourself. When you remember that God has always provided for you, it becomes much easier to tell yourself “God’s got this. Be still and know that! (Psalm 46:10)”. Spend time this morning remembering how God’s faithfulness has impacted your story. I recommend starting at the cross of Jesus.–JMB