Dear Craig,
I’ve got a
Bible question about John 2:18-22.
18 So the Jews answered and said to Him,
“What sign do You show to us, since You do these
things?”
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.
The New King James Version. 1996, c1982 (Jn 2:18).
Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
I am a Jewish
believer. I have heard arguments from
mainstream Jews that Jesus never fulfilled John 2:19, since he never appeared
to any of the Jewish leaders after his resurrection, therefore it could not
have been a sign to them.
How would you
answer that?
Thanks.
Adam
3-18-04
Dear
Ari~
It’s
a fair question asked by unbelieving Jews and deserves a fair response. I am not going to give you the standard
answer most Christians give because it will not satisfy the protests of the
Jews contending against the faith. My
answer is long-winded Ari, but it needs a comprehensive approach to be accurate. I will be weaving aspects of the Law into my
interpretation to prove the fulfillment of John 2:18-19.
Let’s
agree on the TERMS used in the context first; I work from the Greek and Hebrew
texts, not the English versions, but I will try to keep it simple for you Ari.
·
The
Greek word for “show” in John 2:18 means, “To point out, present to the sight,
to cause to see.”
·
The
Greek word for “sign” in John 2:18 is seemeíon and has various meanings,
including, “Sign, mark, token, miracle with a spiritual end and purpose.”
·
The
“Jews” mentioned refer to Jewish leaders; it is very important to identify who
they are. Matthew 27:39-41 is but one
of several key verses that proves who the “Jews” in John 2:18-24. The Jews include the chief priests and the
Pharisees.
These
Jews wanted Jesus to “show” them a “sign” AFTER he had just finished cleansing
the temple and making a public spectacle of them. In essence, the Jewish leaders wanted Jesus to furnish them with
something that distinguished his actions as being directed by the finger of
God; they wanted a token or visible proof, not just the words of truth from
Christ.
Elsewhere
this same group of Jews asks Jesus for a “sign” using the same Greek word for
“sign,” which is, “seemeíon.” The
Strong’s number listed for seemeíon is NT: 4592.
·
Matthew 12:38-45 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, “Teacher, we
want to see a sign (seemeíon) from you.” 39
But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks
after a sign (seemeíon), and NO SIGN (seemeíon) will be given to it EXCEPT THE SIGN (seemeíon) of the prophet Jonah. 40
For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so
will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the
earth. 41 The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this
generation and condemn it, because they
repented at the preaching of Jonah; and
indeed a greater than Jonah is here.
42 The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this
generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the
wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here. 43 When an unclean spirit goes out of
a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. 44 Then he says, 'I will return to my
house from which I came.' And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put
in order. 45 Then he goes and
takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and
dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also
be with this wicked generation."
NKJV
Jesus
calls the Jews an “evil and adulterous generation,” and he tells them, “NO SIGN (seemeíon) will be given to it except the sign (seemeíon) of the prophet Jonah.”
The
account in Matthew is a major sticking point; in John 2:18-19 Jesus never says,
“This is the sign you will receive,” instead he merely states a fact, “Destroy
this temple and I will raise it up.”
They misinterpret his words to mean Herod’s temple and leave it at that.
In
Matthew 12:39 however, Jesus DOES promise the Jews a “sign” BUT he tells them
the ONLY SIGN they will receive is the “sign of Jonah.” This is consistent with Jesus’ statement to
the Jews in John 2:18; below is a comparison of the two texts:
·
“Destroy this temple, and in three
days I will raise it up.”
·
“NO
SIGN will be given to it EXCEPT THE SIGN OF THE PROPHET JONAH. For as Jonah was three days and three nights
in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights
in the heart of the earth.”
The
analogy of Jonah in the belly of the fish corresponds directly to the burial of
Jesus in the tomb for 3 days and nights.
Jonah being spit onto dry land by the great fish parallels when Jesus
raises his physical body from a flat horizontal position to an upright,
vertical position (standing up), AFTER God the Father raises him from the
dead.
The
main point is this: The people of
Nineveh DID NOT SEE THE FISH SPIT JONAH ON DRY LAND and yet they STILL BELIEVED
his message. Jesus promises these
hardhearted Jews only ONE SIGN… the same thing Jonah gave the Ninevites…
repent.
The
argument ends here Ari; no further proof is required, but I made a few more
notes for you. In John 2:18-22 was
Jesus really promising the Jews he would reveal his physical body to them after
the resurrection? Not according to
other texts that use the same Greek word (seemeíon) for “sign.”
·
Mark 8:11-12 Then the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Him, seeking
from Him a sign from heaven, testing Him.
12 But He sighed deeply in His spirit, and said, "Why does this
generation seek a sign? Assuredly, I
say to you, NO SIGN (seemeíon) SHALL BE GIVEN TO THIS GENERATION." NKJV
In
the Law given by God to Moses, we find a very important link to Matthew
27:37.
·
Matthew 27:37 And they put up over His head the
accusation written against Him: THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS. NKJV
The
Law specifies that if an accusation is made of anyone deserving death in
Israel, a minimum of two witnesses is required, but one witness alone is not
allowable. Turn to Deuteronomy
17:2-13 and read the entire context
carefully.
The
Jews disobeyed their OWN LAW and had the Roman government act as both JUDGE and
executioner of Jesus. Neither God the
Father, nor His son Jesus owed these stiff-necked Jews any visible “sign”
because they had broken covenant with Him.
These were obviously the same Jews that Jesus had spoken to in John
2:18-22.
·
Matthew 27:39-43 and those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads 40 and
saying, “You who destroy the temple and build it in three days save yourself!
If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross." 41 Likewise
the chief priests also, mocking with the
scribes and elders, said, 42 “He saved others; himself he cannot
save. If he is the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we
will believe him. 43 He trusted
in God; let him deliver him now if he will have him; for he said, ‘I am the Son
of God.’” NKJV
In
Deuteronomy 17:2-13 the following are fundamentals:
1.
There
had to be evidence of two witnesses or three witnesses.
2.
A
difficult matter had to be taken to the Levitical priest or the judge who is in
office in those days, and you shall inquire of them, and they will declare to
you the verdict in the case.
3.
The
accused, if convicted, was to be STONED to death
4.
The
first stones had to be thrown BY THE WITNESSES
The
Jews violated all points of the Law, thereby nullifying any legitimate claims
to its application. Scores have been
written on this topic, but the main sticking point here is Points 1 & 2.
Because
the Jews handed Jesus over to Herod and Pilate, these Gentile rulers became the
substitutionary “judge” spelled out in the terms of the Law. Therefore, according to the Law, the “two witnesses”
to Christ’s death would also be Roman Gentile guards (legally).
According
to the Law, if the Jews used the Romans to “destroy” the “temple” of Jesus’
body, they relinquished their legal right be witnesses to his death AND
resurrection. As a result, the TWO
GUARDS, stationed at the tomb on behalf of and by the Jews, were LEGALLY
witnesses of his resurrection for them, under the terms and requirements
spelled out in Deuteronomy 17:2-13.
·
Matthew 27:62-66; 28:4-7, 11-16 On the next day, which followed the Day of
Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees
gathered together to Pilate, 63 saying, "Sir,
we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, 'After three
days I will rise.' 64 Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the
third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and say to the
people, 'He has risen from the dead.' So the last deception will be worse than
the first." 65 Pilate said
to them, "You have a guard; go your way, make it as secure as you know
how." 66 So they went and made the
tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard… 28:4 And the guards shook
for fear of him, and became like dead men.
5 But the angel answered and said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was
crucified. 6 He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see
the place where the Lord lay.” 7 And go
quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and
indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I
have told you." 28:11 Now while
they were going, behold, some of the guard came
into the city and reported to the chief priests all the things that had
happened. 12 When they had
assembled with the elders and consulted together,
they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, 13 saying, "Tell them, 'His disciples
came at night and stole Him away while we slept.' 14 And if this comes to the governor's ears, we will appease him
and make you secure." 15 So they
took the money and did as they were instructed; and
this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day. NKJV
There
you have it Ari; the Jews were given the sign of Jonah, just as Jesus
promised. The Jews had their two legal
witnesses (the Roman guards) come to them and give an EYEWITNESS account to his
resurrection. They were legally
accountable now.
Did
the Jews repent once given the sign of Jonah?
No! Instead, they blasphemed the
Holy Spirit by paying blood money to the guards to spread a rumor that the
disciples had stolen the body.
Aside
from all these facts, and in spite of their unbelief, Jesus still gave the Jews
a “sign” of when they were in the act of “destroying” the temple of his body;
it is found in Matthew 26: when Judas Iscariot betrays Jesus to the Jews with a
“sign” (seemeíon) of a kiss.
·
Matthew 26:47-48, 57 And while He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one
of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and elders of the
people. 48 Now His betrayer had given
them A SIGN (seemeíon), saying,
"Whomever I kiss, He is the one; seize Him." 57 And those who had laid hold of Jesus led
Him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the
scribes and the elders were assembled.
I’m
out of time for today Ari, but this should sum it up. Keep us in prayer will you, and come back to visit often!
Your
friend in Jesus~
Craig
B.
The
Bible Answer Stand Ministry
1
Peter 3:15
Always
be ready to give a logical defense to anyone who asks you to account for the
hope that is in you, but do it courteously and respectfully. AMP
Subject: RE: John 2:18-22
Craig,
Thank you so
much for your thorough response. I do
see now the fulfillment of the sign, although I’m not sure I accept all the
points you brought up.
In my opinion,
the sign of Jonah was more than the preaching of repentance; otherwise there
would have been no need to mention the part about the Son of Man being three
days and three nights in the belly of the earth (Matt 12:40) or raising the
temple after three days (Jn 2:19).
However, the
sign was fulfilled when the Jews were told about Jesus’ resurrection by the
Roman guards and acted to cover up the truth.
If they had not believed the guards, they would not have paid them money
or asked them to spread a false story.
So even though they did not physically see Jesus, they knew that Jesus
had made His resurrection known to them through a report that they acted upon,
demonstrating their belief that the report was true.
Regarding the
Jews violating the four requirements of the death penalty in Deuteronomy
17:2-13, the Bible Knowledge Commentary says: “The council could give a guilty
verdict, but the Jews at that time were not allowed to impose the death
penalty. Only Rome could sentence to death.”
(on Luke 22:71). Therefore, the
Jews could not have violated the laws requiring taking the matter to the Levitical
priests in the place that the Lord chose, nor stoning the person to death, nor
witnesses throwing the first stones, since those laws were superceded by Roman
law. However, they themselves were the
witnesses of His “blasphemy”, which they mistakenly attributed to Him, so in
their interpretation of the Law, they were the witnesses, not the Roman
guards.
Ari
3-18-04
Hi Ari~
I agree with all but one
of your points; the Jews did pass a guilty verdict, but did so illegally. Besides that, they are not allowed to appeal
to foreign government according to Deuteronomy 17; it is expressly
forbidden. Roman law never supercedes
God’s law, regardless of what the commentaries say. If the Jews remained true to the application of the law all the
way, they could never have arrived at their verdict. But their hearts were far from God anyhow, so it’s a mute point,
since in their unbelief and hardheartedness, deception blinded them.
You see, my point was,
they went to Pilate and said, “Our law says this man must die, but your law
disallows us to put him to death.” That
was forbidden for them to go to Rome by God’s law. In subjecting themselves and their law to Rome, they now become
completely subservient to Gentile law, especially when they said they have no
king but Caesar. This is tantamount to
then saying to Rome, “Here’s our law, we want you to execute it YOUR way.” Thus the terms of the law are now applicable
legally by Gentiles.
I can see your point about
them being the witnesses, albeit false testimony, and therefore not in
compliance with the terms of the law.
In fact, according to the law, a false accusation of this nature
requires those that slander to be put to death
Just some additional
thoughts Ari; I like discussing it with you.
Love in Jesus,
Craig
The
Bible Answer Stand Ministry
1
Peter 3:15
Always
be ready to give a logical defense to anyone who asks you to account for the
hope that is in you, but do it courteously and respectfully. AMP
Return to BAS Homepage ·
Craig's Bible Studies · E-mail Craig · Write Us · Writings
& Links to BAS Friends · Q & A
· Return to Top of This Page