Day 11 of 14
Jesus as the True Temple
The Word became flesh and tabernacled among us
Scripture Readings
Today's Reading
Read John 1:14 and John 2:13-22. John tells us that the Word "became flesh and dwelt among us" — literally, "tabernacled" among us. Then Jesus cleanses the temple and makes a staggering claim: "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." John adds: "He was speaking about the temple of his body."
Reflection
Everything in this plan has been building to this moment. Every altar, every tabernacle curtain, every golden cherub, every prophetic vision — all of it was pointing to a man standing in the temple courts, saying, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up" (John 2:19).
The crowds were baffled. "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?" (2:20). They thought he was talking about the building. But John, writing years later, tells us the truth: "He was speaking about the temple of his body" (2:21).
This is the Bible's great temple revelation. Jesus himself is the true temple — the place where God and humanity meet perfectly and permanently. The glory that filled the tabernacle, that filled Solomon's temple, that departed in Ezekiel's vision — that glory has now taken on human flesh.
John's prologue makes this explicit. "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory" (1:14). The Greek word for "dwelt" is eskenosen — literally, "pitched his tent" or "tabernacled." John is deliberately using temple language. Jesus is the new tabernacle, the portable Eden, the place where heaven and earth overlap in a human body.
Wright captures the magnitude of the claim: "When Jesus said, 'Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up,' he was making the most extraordinary claim in Jewish history: that he himself was the place where heaven and earth met." This is why Jesus could be so bold in the temple courts. The building was a shadow; he was the reality.
Goldsworthy sees the whole Old Testament converging here: "Jesus is the true temple — the ultimate meeting place of God and humanity. In him, all the temple theology of the Old Testament finds its fulfillment." Eden, tabernacle, Solomon's temple, Ezekiel's vision — they all find their "yes" in Christ.
Going Deeper
When Jesus died, the temple curtain was torn in two from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51). This was not destruction — it was an opening. The way into God's presence, blocked since Eden, was thrown wide open. How does the torn curtain change your approach to prayer and worship?
Key Quotes
“When Jesus said, 'Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up,' he was making the most extraordinary claim in Jewish history: that he himself was the place where heaven and earth met.”
“Jesus is the true temple — the ultimate meeting place of God and humanity. In him, all the temple theology of the Old Testament finds its fulfillment.”
Prayer Focus
Worship Jesus as the living temple — the place where you meet the Father. Thank him for making God's presence permanently accessible.
Meditation
Jesus said 'Destroy this temple.' He let his own body be destroyed so that access to God's presence would never again depend on a building. What does this mean for you today?
Question for Discussion
When Jesus said 'Destroy this temple and I will raise it in three days,' no one understood Him until after the resurrection. How should the fact that God's deepest truths are often misunderstood in the moment affect our posture toward mystery and unanswered questions in faith?