“We heard Him say, ‘I will destroy this man-made temple, and in three days I will build another that is made without hands.’”
Parallel translations
- WEB “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another made without hands.’”
- KJV We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands.
- NKJV “We heard Him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands.’ ”
- NASB “We heard Him say, ‘I will destroy this temple that was made by hands, and in three days I will build another, made without hands.’ ”
- NLT “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this Temple made with human hands, and in three days I will build another, made without human hands.’”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
They twist Jesus' saying about destroying and rebuilding the temple. His words about his resurrection body are misrepresented.
Overview
John 2 shows Jesus spoke of the temple of his body, raised in three days, but the witnesses distort this into a threat against the building. The charge mishandles a profound truth about his death and resurrection. Ironically, their false accusation touches the very heart of the gospel they reject.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- John 2:19Jesus answered, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up again.”
- Heb 9:11But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that have come, He went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made by hands and is not a part of this creation.
- 2 Cor 5:1Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is dismantled, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.
- Heb 9:24For Christ did not enter a man-made copy of the true sanctuary, but He entered heaven itself, now to appear on our behalf in the presence of God.
- Acts 7:48However, the Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands. As the prophet says:
- Mark 15:29And those who passed by heaped abuse on Him, shaking their heads and saying, “Aha! You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days,
- Dan 2:34As you watched, a stone was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay, and crushed them.
- Dan 2:45And just as you saw a stone being cut out of the mountain without human hands, and it shattered the iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold, so the great God has told the king what will happen in the future. The dream is true, and its interpretation is trustworthy.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Mark drives urgently to the cross, showing Jesus the Son of God as the suffering Servant who 'came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'
How Mark 14:58 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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