John 2:21

21 But He was speaking of the temple of His body.

John 2:21 Meaning and Commentary

John 2:21

But he spoke of the temple of his body.
] Which was the antitype of the material temple; and might well be called so, since the bodies of the saints are called temples, ( 1 Corinthians 3:16 1 Corinthians 3:17 ) ( 6:19 ) ( 2 Corinthians 6:16 ) ; and the human nature of Christ is called a tabernacle, ( Hebrews 8:2 ) ; and he himself, in prophecy, is said to be (vdqml) , "for a sanctuary", or temple, ( Isaiah 8:14 ) , and that because the fulness of the Godhead dwelt in him bodily, the train of the divine perfections filled the temple of his human nature, ( Colossians 2:9 ) ( Isaiah 6:1 ) . And because here, as in the temple, God grants his presence, and communes with his saints, accepts of their prayers and praises, and all their spiritual sacrifices through him; and who is the oracle, the true "Urim" and "Thummim", by whom he delivers his whole mind and will to his people.

John 2:21 In-Context

19 Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."
20 Then the Jews said, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?"
21 But He was speaking of the temple of His body.
22 Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.
23 Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.