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Scripture Reading: John 2:13-22
In this chapter we will fellowship concerning the Lord’s words in John 2:19, which says, “In three days I will raise it up.” These words refer to the building up of the church in resurrection.
Every book in the Bible has a central thought, and it is very important to touch the central thought of a book when reading the Bible. If we can touch the central thought of a book, we can touch the spirit of the book. The Gospel of John occupies a special place in the Bible because it focuses on life. The Gospel of John reveals that God is manifested as the Word and becomes the Spirit to enter into man. In the first half of the Gospel, God is manifested as the Word, and in the second half, God, as the Spirit, enters into man. The manifestation of God and His entering into man are for Him to be man’s life.
However, God being manifested as the Word and becoming the Spirit to enter into man as life is not the goal of the Gospel of John. God being life in us is but a procedure to achieve an ultimate goal. This goal is explained in the first two chapters of John. John 1 says that the Word, who is God, became flesh and tabernacled among men (vv. 1, 14). Life is the procedure, and the tabernacle is the goal. God came to be our life so that He might tabernacle in man and among men. The end of chapter 1 speaks of Bethel with a universal ladder that joins earth and heaven (v. 51). This is the house of God that was revealed in Jacob’s dream (Gen. 28:16-17). The Lord came as the Lamb with the dove for man to receive Him as life so that He can join earth to heaven for the building up of Bethel, the house of God.
There are two cases in John 2. The first case involves the changing of water into wine, showing that the Lord came to change death into life. The second case involves the cleansing of the temple. After changing water into wine, the Lord cleansed the temple, showing that He changes death into life in order to build up the temple of God.
The link between these two cases are the words the third day and three days. The Lord went to Cana, a place of weak and fragile people, on the third day in order to change death into life, and He also said that He would raise up the temple in three days (vv. 1-11, 19). The words the third day and three days have a special meaning. If we count the days in chapter 1, we see that the Lord went to Cana on the fifth day. However, John records His coming as being on the third day. This shows that in each of these cases the Lord was in resurrection. Resurrection links the two cases in chapter 2. The Lord went in resurrection to weak and fragile people to change death into life, and in resurrection the Lord will build up the temple, the house of God.
John 1 is an introduction, and chapter 2 shows that the Lord Jesus changes death into life for the building up of God’s house in resurrection. Chapter 2 concerns the changing of water into wine and the building up of the temple. To change water into wine is a matter of life, but to build up the temple is a matter of building. Hence, this chapter concerns life and building.
The central thought of the Gospel of John is life and building, and the spirit of the Gospel of John is the spirit of life and building. This Gospel speaks of God coming forth as the Word and becoming the Spirit to enter into us as life so that He can gain His building in the universe. This building is the vision that Jacob saw at Bethel. Jacob’s vision, however, was not fulfilled until the Gospel of John. The fulfillment of Jacob’s dream was realized by God coming forth as the Word and becoming the Spirit so that He could enter into man as life. This is the central thought and the spirit of the Gospel of John. If we do not touch this thought, we cannot enter into the depths of this Gospel.
In chapter 6 the Lord said, “The words which I have spoken to you are spirit and are life” (v. 63). Of the sixty-six books of the Bible, only the Gospel of John speaks of the Lord’s words as being spirit and life. This verse shows that the Lord’s words are spirit for life. The Lord’s coming forth in the Word and His becoming the Spirit are for Him to be life to us. Moreover, His being life is for the purpose of building Bethel, the tabernacle, as God’s house. In 14:2 the Lord speaks of abodes, saying, “In My Father’s house are many abodes.” The Father’s house in both chapters 2 and 14 refers to His spiritual building. According to the interpretation in 2:16 and 21, My Father’s house refers to the temple, the body of Christ, as God’s dwelling place. However, many people mistakenly interpret the Father’s house in chapter 14 as a heavenly mansion. Just as the Father’s house in chapter 2 does not refer to a heavenly mansion but to His spiritual building, the Father’s house in chapter 14 does not refer to a heavenly mansion but to God’s mysterious spiritual building. This building is the issue of God building Himself into man and of God building man into Himself so that He becomes man’s dwelling place, and man becomes His dwelling place.
In 14:2 the Lord said, “In My Father’s house are many abodes.” In verse 23 He said, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word, and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make an abode with him.” These verses speak of abodes.
In chapter 15 the Lord said, “Abide in Me and I in you” (v. 4). The Gospel of John speaks of the mutual abiding of God and man. Of all the writers of the Bible, only John speaks so clearly concerning God abiding in man and man abiding in God, that is, concerning the mutual abiding of God and man. John speaks of this mutual abiding of God and man not only in his Gospel but also in his Epistles (1 John 3:24; 4:12-13). In the book of Revelation John writes also of the New Jerusalem as the tabernacle of God with men (21:2-3). The New Jerusalem has the names of the twelve apostles on its foundations and the names of the twelve tribes of Israel on its gates (vv. 14, 12). Those who read the Bible understand this to mean that the city is a spiritual building built up with all the redeemed ones of the Old Testament and the New Testament.
If we see this revelation, we will understand that the central thought of the Gospel of John, the Epistles of John, and Revelation is that God has come to be man’s life so that He can build those who receive Him and enjoy Him into His eternal habitation. This building is in life, that is, in resurrection. If we do not see this thought, we will not understand John’s writings.
The Gospel of John begins with the Word becoming flesh to be joined and mingled with man for His tabernacling among men (1:14). The Lord is the Lamb of God with the dove in order to take away man’s sin so that man may have life, partake of God, and be mingled with God, thus producing the house of God, Bethel (vv. 29, 32, 51). In chapter 2 the Lord did two things related to life and building: He changed water into wine and cleansed the temple. In resurrection the Lord comes to weak and fragile people and changes death into life, and in His resurrection life He builds those who have received His life into the house of God.
In chapters 3 through 11 John presents many cases — the first case concerns regeneration, and the last case concerns resurrection (3:3-8; 11:43-44) — to illustrate how the Lord changes death into life. In other words, each case is a matter of “changing water into wine.” Telling a man to be born again and resurrecting a man out of the tomb, that is, delivering him from the bondage of death, are both related to changing death into life.
Chapters 3 through 11 develop the principle of the changing of water into wine. After chapters 12 and 13, which are a turning point, chapters 14 through 21 focus on the matter of building in resurrection. Chapter 14 begins with the building of the Father’s house. In verses 2 and 3 the Lord said, “I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I am coming again and will receive you to Myself, so that where I am you also may be.” The Lord was in the Father, but the disciples were still apart from the Father. The Lord’s going involved His crucifixion, after which He was resurrected, becoming the life-giving Spirit. Since the Lord is now the Spirit, it is possible for us to know that He is in the Father, we are in Him, and He is in us (vv. 16-20). This means that the Lord builds us into the Father. As a result, the Lord and the Father can make an abode with us, and we can abide in the Lord.
We should have this view of the Gospel of John. In this Gospel the Word of God became flesh to be our life, and He is changing death into life in order to build us into God’s house.
In the Old Testament God’s house was the tabernacle and the temple, both of which are shadows; they are not the reality. The physical temple went through three stages. In the first stage the temple was built by Solomon and later destroyed by a Babylonian king (1 Kings 6:37-38; 2 Kings 25:8-9). In the second stage the temple was rebuilt by a remnant of Israelites who returned to Jerusalem under the leadership of Zerubbabel and Ezra after seventy years of captivity (Ezra 3:6-13; 6:13-15). In the third stage the temple was enlarged by Herod, a Gentile king, shortly before the birth of the Lord Jesus. In order to please the Jews, Herod spent forty-six years to enlarge the scale of the temple that had been rebuilt during Ezra’s time (John 2:20). The tabernacle and the temple, however, are merely types of the universal building of God, which has not been completed. After relating how the Lord changed water into wine, John speaks of the Lord’s cleansing of the temple. Verse 17 says, “His disciples remembered that it was written, ‘The zeal of Your house shall devour Me.’” This word, which is quoted from Psalm 69:9, shows how desperate the Lord was for the completion of the building of God’s house. In John 2:18 the Jews said to Him, “What sign do You show us, seeing that You do these things?” The Lord Jesus answered, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (v. 19). The Jews were baffled by the Lord’s word, and said, “This temple was built in forty-six years, and You will raise it up in three days?” (v. 20). They did not understand that the Lord was speaking of the temple of His body (v. 21). The Lord’s body was the temple of God. Although the Jews crucified the Lord and destroyed His physical body, He raised it up in three days; that is, He was resurrected on the third day. This particular word is beyond human consideration. The temple of God was destroyed on the cross, but the Lord built up the temple in resurrection.
The temple that the Jews destroyed on the cross was the physical body of Jesus. The temple that the Lord built in three days in resurrection was not merely His physical body but an enlarged Body. According to John, Peter, and Paul, when the Lord resurrected from the dead, His believers were included in Him, joined to Him, and mingled with Him (John 14:20; 1 Pet. 1:3; Eph. 2:6). One person was killed, but millions were resurrected. One grain of wheat fell into the ground, but many grains were brought forth (John 12:24). The Jews destroyed one person on the cross, but on the third day the Lord Jesus resurrected with countless others who belong to Him and are joined to Him. This resurrected Body is an enlarged mysterious Body. Hence, the temple built by the Lord in resurrection is an enlarged mysterious temple. We are in it; every saved person is a part of it.
On the one hand, the Lord resurrected, ascended into heaven, and is seated in heaven; that is, His resurrection is complete. On the other hand, the Lord Jesus is still in the process of resurrection. On the one hand, He raised up the temple in three days in His resurrection. On the other hand, the Lord is still leading the church into resurrection. Hence, the “three days” that began following the Lord’s death and culminated with His resurrection will continue until the day of His return. In this time the Lord Jesus will build up the house of God in resurrection.
Based on the past two thousand years of church history and the biographies of many lovers of the Lord, the church is passing through death and resurrection; that is, the church is being torn down by men but is also being built up by the Lord. People are continually trying to tear down the church, and the Lord is continually building up the church. To tear down the church is to bring the flesh into the church. Thankfully, however, His building-up work is manifested through man’s tearing down. Wherever there is a tearing down, there is also the building up.
We are learning to serve the Lord, to follow Him, and to work for Him, and our desire is for the church to be built up. Nevertheless, we have passed through numerous painful experiences. The turmoils in the church have caused much suffering, and sometimes it seems as if not one stone is left upon another. When we inquired of the Lord concerning these things, we received light from God’s Word. Now we see that the church is built up in resurrection by passing through the process of tearing down. We must worship the Lord because the tearing down only enables Him to build up the church in resurrection. The Lord said, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (2:19). While man’s flesh is tearing down the church, resurrection is operating to build it up. While man’s opinion is tearing down the church, resurrection is building it up. When we see that the church is being torn down, we become anxious, but God is not anxious. We may say, “Lord, the church has been on the earth for two thousand years, why is it still not built up?” The Lord may say, “In My eyes, two thousand years are not that long; to Me a thousand years are like one day” (2 Pet. 3:8). The Lord is continually building up the church.
As the church is going through this process of tearing down and building up, we also are experiencing this same process individually. Sometimes the tearing down begins just when we feel that our condition is good. God’s building work is completed in resurrection, but it begins with tearing down. We may feel bad when the tearing down comes, but God does not feel bad; we may be sorrowful, but God is never sorrowful. He will say, “I am building through tearing down. I am building in resurrection.”
Without exception, we all want the church to advance, and we want the saints to be in one accord to propagate the gospel and to serve in mutual harmony and coordination. However, our situation is not according to our desire. At times, problems arise among the co-workers, among the elders, or among the saints. There are even problems in our environment and in the world situation. These problems cause the church to be torn down. When we see the tearing down, we may feel sorrowful and wonder why such things happen. But if we see the light in John 2, we will worship the Lord, because the tearing down prepares the ground for building up in resurrection. People will tear down the church, but the Lord will build it up in three days. He builds in resurrection. The work of tearing down is not yet complete, but neither is the work of building. As far as the Lord Jesus is concerned, His physical body has been torn down, and He is now building the church as His Body. For the past two thousand years man has been tearing down the church, but at the same time God has been building the church in resurrection.
Church history shows that the tearing down is often so miserable that everything seems to enter into a tomb. However, after a period of time resurrection brings us out of the tomb. Man cannot destroy God’s temple. Man can only tear down outward things; man cannot destroy the inner content of the church. The Lord Jesus said, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Lord is still building God’s house in resurrection. Although man may tear down, the Lord is building. What man tears down is small and physical, but the Lord builds up something that is enlarged and spiritual in resurrection. We do not need to be sorrowful when the church suffers. Rather, we should worship the Lord, and say, “Lord, this is the journey of the church. The pathway of the church is one of tearing down and building up. The pathway of the church involves man trying his best to tear down, but You are building up in resurrection.”
We cannot build up the church simply by giving messages or by holding conferences and trainings. The building of the church lies in its being torn down again and again so that the Lord can build up in resurrection. Church history shows that this is the Lord’s way. After He does a building work and His children are full of expectation, hope, and anticipation, He allows people to do a tearing-down work. When the condition of the church is good and the work is effective, the church often suffers from tearing down. There can be building up only when there is tearing down.
Whatever is natural can be torn down, and only that which is genuine and spiritual can be built up in resurrection. We cannot determine the measure of spirituality in our work. The measure of spirituality will be determined by what is left after our work passes through death. Only something genuine and spiritual will be resurrected after being torn down.
For the past ten years, we have been greatly blessed by the Lord; the brothers are serving and coordinating together in one accord. However, I do not have the assurance that this situation can be maintained. I am concerned that a storm will soon come upon us. I hope that this word will be a warning to us now and a comfort in the future. When a storm comes, we should not use our maneuvering to subdue it, nor should we try to be a peacemaker. Rather, we should let people tear down, even if not one stone is left upon another, because then we will see how much we have been constituted with resurrection. May we receive mercy in this matter so that we would not be those who tear down but those who are torn down. The tearing down will manifest how much of our work and person will pass through in resurrection.
A minister of the word once said that the church does not have a smooth pathway on the earth. This was true in the age of the apostle Paul, and it is true in our age. When Paul was old, Demas abandoned him, having loved the present age, and all who were in Asia turned away from him (2 Tim. 4:10; 1:15). He was left alone. This was a severe tearing down. We would not think that a person such as Paul, who was experienced, who was matured in life, and who had bountiful gifts and great spiritual authority, could fall into such a situation. The church and the believers must pass through this process while on earth. This is according to the Lord’s word: “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The history of the church on the earth speaks of a process of being torn down and being built up. May the Lord have mercy on us so that we would not be those who tear down but those who are willing to be torn down. Then, after being torn down, we will be built up in resurrection.
The Lord came to change water into wine and then to build up God’s house in resurrection. The Lord’s work cannot escape the principle of changing water into wine, nor can it avoid passing through the process of being torn down and being built up in resurrection. God will allow turmoils to rise up in the church so that whatever needs to be torn down will be torn down. Those who receive mercy will not take part in the tearing down but, instead, will be willing to be torn down to experience the Lord’s resurrection. We thank the Lord that He changes death into life. Any tearing down by man will only manifest resurrection.
