John 2:19 Meaning
John 2:19 Meaning
Is John 2:19 meaning what it sounds like?
Here is a verse that seems to suggest three days from Jesus’ death to resurrection:
“Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body.” (John 2:19-21)
What temple was Jesus referring to? How was it to be destroyed and how was it to be raised up? Three days from when to when? This study will show, by looking at the original Greek words, that just about everything is wrong with the common understanding of this passage.
“Destroy” is from the Greek word “luo” (G3089) for which the Online Bible Greek Lexicon gives the major definitions as:
1) to loose any person (or thing) tied or fastened
2) to loose one bound, i.e. to unbind, release from bonds, set free
3) to loosen, undo, dissolve, anything bound, tied, or compacted together
Its 43 uses in the King James Version are translated in the following ways (number of uses in parenthesis): loose (27), break (5), unloose (3), destroy (2), dissolve (2), put off (1), melt (1), break up (1), break down (1).
The one other case of “luo” translated as “destroy” in the King James Version is:
“He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy (luo) the works of the devil.” (1 John 3:8)
That is “destroy the works of the devil,” not destroy or kill the devil. The original word “luo” does not mean and is never used in the Bible with the meaning of “to kill.” We have come to understand it to mean “to kill” in these two verses as a result of the way the KJV translators rendered it into English.
There are other, more-appropriate words Jesus could have used if He meant what we commonly think the passage means. For example, the Greek word “apollumi,” (G622) which is translated as “perish” (33 times), “destroy” (26), “lose” (22), “be lost” (5), “lost” (4) and miscellaneous other words (2). An example of its use is:
“Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him.” (Matthew 12:14)
The Online Bible Lexicon defines “apollumi” as:
“to destroy fully; destroy, die, lose, mar, perish”
Other uses of “apollumi” by Matthew include:
“But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.” (Matthew 22:7)
Since “luo” does not mean to destroy, Jesus was not referring to Himself being killed. We will see what it means shortly.
Who Raised Jesus From the Dead?
Let’s consider another important word:
“Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. … he spake of the temple of his body.” (John 2:19, 21)
“Raise” (Greek “egeiro”; G1453) is in the active voice in that verse indicating that Jesus Himself would do the action – raise up “this temple,” His body. It would not be done to Him by someone else which would be in the passive voice in the Greek.
We need to recognize that Jesus could not have raised Himself from the dead as He was dead and scripture is very clear that there is no consciousness in death:
- “As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away: so he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more. He shall return no more to his house, neither shall his place know him any more.” (Job 7:9-10)
- “…in that very day [of death] his thoughts perish.” (Psalm 146:4)
- “… the dead know not anything…” (Eccl 9:5)
- “ …there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.” (Eccl 9:10)
- “… David, that he is both dead and buried … David is not ascended into the heavens …” (Acts 2:29, 34)
Also, it is very clear that it was His Father Who raised Him from the dead:
“Whom God hath raised up (Greek “anistemi”; G450), having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.” (Acts 2:24)
Many other verses say the same:
- “This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.” (Acts 2:32)
- “And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses.” (Acts 3:15)
- “Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.” (Acts 3:26)
- “Him God raised up the third day, and shewed him openly;” (Acts 10:40)
- “But God raised him from the dead:” (Acts 13:30)
- “God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.” (Acts 13:33)
- “And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David.” (Acts 13:34)
- “Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.” (Acts 13:35)
- “Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.” (Acts 17:31)
- “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:4)
- “And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power.” (1 Corinthians 6:14)
- “Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you.” (2 Corinthians 4:14)
- “Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;)” (Galatians 1:1)
- “Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,” (Ephesians 1:20)
- “Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.” (Colossians 2:12)
- “And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.” (1 Thessalonians 1:10)
- “Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,” (Hebrews 13:20)
- “Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.” (1 Peter 1:21)
John 2:19 therefore cannot be referring to Jesus being killed or to raising Himself from the dead.
Jesus Raised as Moses Raised the Serpent
Why are “raise” (John 2:19) and “raised” (Acts 2:24) completely different words? Could it be that Acts 2:24 is referring to being raised from the dead (as it obviously is) by His Father and John 2:19 is referring to Jesus raising Himself in quite a different sense?
It could be said that Jesus “raised” Himself (but not from the dead) in this way:
“Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. This he said, signifying what death he should die.” (John 12:32-33)
“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:14-15)
Jesus was lifted up (His body raised) on the cross. While He did not physically lift His own body, it would not have happened if He had not allowed it:
“Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.” (John 10:17-18)
“But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.” (Hebrews 2:9)
“Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” (1 John 3:16)
But that is not the sense in which He meant He would be raised up. More importantly, He was raised in the sense of one meaning of the word “egeiro:”
1453 ἐγείρω egeiro eg-i’-ro
probably akin to the base of 58 (through the idea of collecting one’s faculties); v;
AV-rise 36, raise 28, arise 27, raise up 23, rise up 8, rise again 5, raise again 4, misc 10; 141
1) to arouse, cause to rise
1a) to arouse from sleep, to awake
1b) to arouse from the sleep of death, to recall the dead to life
1c) to cause to rise from a seat or bed etc.
1d) to raise up, produce, cause to appear
1d1) to cause to appear, bring before the public
1d2) to raise up, stir up, against one
1d3) to raise up i.e. cause to be born
1d4) of buildings, to raise up, construct, erect
He was lifted up very publicly. Even the Romans meant to make the execution of “criminals” very public. His death, culminating in a self-sacrificial life, demonstrated His character as a reflection of His Father’s character and had and still has the effect of drawing people to Himself.
This reversed the rejection, the casting off (the “luo” translated as “destroy” and discussed in the previous section) at least for some people. The Pharisees etc “luoed” (the word anglicized here) Him but the result was that the works of the devil were “luoed” (rejected or “destroyed” as in “… destroy the works of the devil” – 1 John 3:8) in the minds of those who looked to Jesus and accepted Him. They saw His self-sacrificing, non-violent character on the cross in contrast to SataJn being revealed as a murderer. It happened for even a dying thief.
This (the crucifixion event) was the opportunity for people to make a decision for or against the Messiah. Some at least “luoed” or cast out Satan’s lies and were drawn to the Messiah.
Jesus meant that the event of the cross should be very public and so have His true followers since.
“But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;” (1 Corinthians 1:23)
“For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” (1 Corinthians 2:2)
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