And said, this fellow said
Or saith, as De Dieu observes, the Syriac version of this place
should be rendered; that is, he has not only said in times past,
referring to ( John 2:19 ) , but
continues to say it, and glory in it:
I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in
three
days;
in which they did injury, both to his words and sense: he did not
say, "I am able to destroy the temple", but only said, "destroy
this temple"; signifying neither his power, nor his will and
inclination to it; but put it upon the Jews, and left it to them
to do it: nor did he say one word about the temple of God, or as
it is in ( Mark 14:58 ) , "this
temple that is made with hands"; the temple at Jerusalem, which
was made by the hands of men, and devoted to the worship of God;
but only "this temple", referring to his body, or human nature;
in which he, the Son of God, dwelt, as in a temple; nor did he
say that he was able to "build" it in three days, but that he
would "raise it up" in three days; intending the resurrection of
his body by his own power, after it had been dead three days; and
so they perverted his sense, as well as misquoted his words;
applying that to the material temple at Jerusalem, what he spoke
of the temple of his body, and of its resurrection from the dead,
on the third day; designing hereby to fix a charge, both of
sacrilege and sorcery upon him: of sacrilege, in having a design
upon the temple of God to destroy it; and of sorcery, or
familiarity with the devil, and having assistance from him, or
knowledge of the magic art, that he could pretend in three days
to rebuild a temple, which had been forty and six years in
building; and was what could never be done, but by help of
Beelzebub, the prince of devils, by whom it was insinuated he did
all his miracles.