Jesus made this statement in the Temple in Jerusalem on the first Passover after He had begun His earthly ministry. Upon entering the Temple compound He was filled with indignation at "those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money seated," (v.14). These were people who had commercialized the sacrifice of animals prescribed by the Law of Moses. Along with them were men who exchanged foreign currency for Jewish coin, capitalizing on a law that required sacrificial animals to be purchased only with Jewish money. Of course, they also imposed a hefty fee for making this exchange, thus exploiting the pilgrims from distant lands who had come to worship. After Jesus watched all this for a short time, He "made a scourge of cords and drove them all out of the Temple ... and poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables," (v.15).
This action had a considerable impact upon the priests, who had authority over everything that went on in the Temple. They permitted and supported these people who were making "My Father's house a house of merchandise," as Jesus exclaimed in v.16. They even maintained a police force within the Temple precincts to enforce their control, (Jno. 7:32,45-46). Evidently, however, Jesus' work of clearing out this mess was so sudden that these officers did not have time to intervene. When the priests saw what had happened, they immediately came to Jesus to determine by what authority He had acted. It says in v.18 that "the Jews ... said to Him, 'What sign do You show us, seeing that You do these things?'" It was in reply to this challenge that Jesus said, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."
The priests did not comprehend what Jesus meant by this. They assumed He was referring to the great edifice in which they were standing, for they replied with contempt, "It took 46 years to build this Temple, and will you raise it up in three days?" (v.20). They interpreted Jesus' statement as some kind of threat against the Temple, and three years later used this construction against Him in the trial in which they sentenced Him to death. But the apostle John carefully points out that Jesus "was speaking of the Temple of His body," (v.21). The Bible occasionally refers to the human body as the "temple" of the soul, and that is the sense employed here by Jesus. In essence, He was telling His interrogators that He would for sure give them a "sign" (or proof) of His authority for clearing out the Temple, as well as for everything else He said or did. He challenged them to destroy His body, knowing they would crucify Him before long anyway. Then He said He would "raise it up in three days."
The authority of Jesus is still a burning issue after some 2000 years. In the New Testament He teaches a unique doctrine and then commands us to adapt our lives to it. Moreover, He models that doctrine in His own life and then tells us to "follow Me." When people now read the New Testament, or listen as faithful Christians teach it, they want to know, "By what authority does this Jewish zealot and visionary make these demands of us, and what proof can He give of that authority?" The answer continues the same from the day Jesus first spoke these words. His authority is from heaven, and the proof is His resurrection from death after His enemies had crucified Him. There is nothing further to be said about it. If people will not accept this proof and be convinced by it to submit their lives to Jesus' authority as laid out in the Gospel, there is no hope for them. They will die and be lost. Our pathway to eternal salvation begins with faith in Jesus' resurrection and submission to His authority.
