Lenten Devotion – Jesus our Hope
Day 40, 30 March 2024 (Holy Saturday)
So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking about the temple of his body. When 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 2:18-22
The Temple authorities were furious. Jesus had just driven out the traders and money changers out of the Temple grounds. The Temple authorities were angry, but not because of the loss in income as those traders and money changers would be back again the day after. They were furious because Jesus had caused them to lose face and had challenged their authority.
They did not question Jesus’s right in the action as the crowd in the Temple would have approved this action. Cheating and corruption in the Temple was common knowledge among the people. They also did not question His authority for the action taken.
Instead they asked Him to show signs (take that to mean miracles) to explain the correctness of His action. Jesus was not going to be tempted to perform miracles just for the religious leaders’ sake as He was already known to be a miracle worker.
Jesus’s reply was “destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” Notice Jesus did not say “the” temple, meaning the one and only temple for the Israelites. Whether the Jews misunderstood or chose to do so was debatable.
Jesus was, of course, referring to His coming crucifixion and His resurrection. It was only later that the disciples recalled His words and believed.
So what is our take away from this incident ?
- Jesus knew full well about the pain and trauma He was going to suffer in the coming days, yet He willingly chose that path. So great was His love for us
- We should never let our insecurities cloud our faith and judgement regarding what’s right or wrong. Our trust in God will then never be misplaced
- Rejoice! God’s promises to us are irrevocable. He will do what He says
- By His blood shed and by His crucifixion we were made righteous and by His resurrection He broke the power of sin over us
Jesus’ fulfillment of His prediction of His resurrection gives us hope that He will save us completely!
Grant, Lord,
that we who are baptized into the death
of your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ
may continually put to death our evil desires
and be buried with him;
and that through the grave and gate of death
we may pass to our joyful resurrection;
through his merits,
who died and was buried and rose again for us,
your Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Jonah Su🙏