Joel M Bradshaw

18But the Jewish leaders demanded, “What are you doing? If God gave you authority to do this [clearing out the Temple court], show us a miraculous sign to prove it.”

19“All right,” Jesus replied. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”

20“What!” they exclaimed. “It has taken forty-six years to build this Temple, and you can rebuild it in three days?” 21But when Jesus said “this temple,” he meant his own body. 22After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered he had said this, and they believed both the Scriptures and what Jesus had said.–John 2

1. The Jewish leaders always concerned themselves with authority, especially as Jesus did or said things they found to be controversial.
2. Jesus responded with a statement that would have shocked them.
3. I love that His own disciples didn’t understand right away, but only after Jesus later rose from the dead.
4. They believed the Scriptures like the three days Jonah (1:17) spent in the great fish and how Jesus once applied that verse to His own resurrection (Matthew 12:40).
5. They also believed when they saw evidence that the resurrection happened.
6. Sometimes we go through confusing times, and we have to simply trust God and take Him at His Word. We remember key Bible verses, and they provide great motivation or comfort.
7. Other times, we look back and see God’s hand providentially at work in our lives, accomplishing what only He could. Regardless, we might not always understand everything right away. Keep holding to Scripture and keep trusting God.–JMB