“Destroy this temple,” Jesus said in our Gospel passage from Sunday, “and in three days I will raise it up.” (John 2:19).
Literally, Jesus wasn’t talking about the physical temple in Jerusalem. Instead, he was figuratively speaking of the temple of his body – the place where God and all of God’s glory dwelled. In the moment, Jesus’ disciples wouldn’t understand. It would only be after Jesus’ death and resurrection that they would believe the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.
Which, can we really blame ’em for not understanding? For the disciples, they had no idea what was going to happen in the years to come. And for the readers of John’s Gospel – reading John’s story of the Gospel message decades after Christ’s death and resurrection, and decades after their beloved temple had been destroyed by the Romans – they found themselves surrounded by nothing but destruction.
So a message that Jesus could raise something up that was completely destroyed? Completely dead? It would’ve sounded like foolishness. Indeed, nonsense. And yet, that is the core message of the Christian faith: that God brings about new life – indeed, resurrection – even in the face of complete and utter de-construction and death.
As people who know the “end of the story” – knowing where we’ll journey with Christ during Holy Week – we know this promse of life to be true for Jesus. But the thing is, this promise of new life coming from what seems to be completely lifeless is not just for Jesus. And this promise is not just for when our physical life on this earth is complete. Rather, this promise of new life is something that has been given to us, as members of the living body of Christ – indeed, as people in whom God’s glory now dwells today.
So, though I realize that we’re not quite at Easter yet, what would it be like for us to look at our lives, look around our world, and look around the church and dare to believe that there is still a possibility for new life – for resurrection – to come from what is seemingly de-constructed? It might not be easy to see it – nor trust it – at first glance. But turning ourselves to Christ and his cross, even there – even in the face of what might seem to be nothing but de-construction, in faith – we just might see more than meets the eye. Indeed, we just might see the possibility…and the promise…of God’s Kingdom.