The four Canonical gospels are Mark, Matthew, Luke, and John. In all 4 they saying Jesus quotes and parables spoken by him and sometimes are verbatim across gospels. But one saying is different in all gospels. That is the claim that Jesus could destroy the temple and raised it in 3 days. Below I included my research on this topic.

Preface: Mark is the earliest Gospel with Matthew appearing to have copied him or used him as source. Luke after them and John is our final Gospel to be written according to scholarly dating.

Did Jesus Really Say He Would Raise the Temple in Three Days?

One of the most intriguing statements attributed to Jesus in the Gospels is his claim that he could destroy the temple and raise it again in three days. This statement is explicitly recorded in John 2:19, where Jesus declares, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” However, the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) never record Jesus making this statement directly. Instead, it appears as an accusation against him at his trial and as part of the mockery he faced during the crucifixion.

The Temple Saying Across the Gospels

• John 2:19-21: Jesus says, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” John clarifies in verse 21 that Jesus was speaking about “the temple of his body,” not the physical temple in Jerusalem.
• Matthew 26:61 & Mark 14:58: During Jesus’ trial, false witnesses claim he said, “I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.”
• Matthew 27:40 & Mark 15:29: While Jesus is on the cross, people mock him, saying, “You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself!”
• Luke 23:2: While less explicit, Luke mentions that Jesus was accused of misleading the nation, which could imply that claims about the temple were part of the charges against him.

Does This Support the Authenticity of the Saying?

Since the statement is present in all four Gospels in some form, even if in different contexts, it suggests that it was well known in early Christian tradition. But does that mean Jesus actually said it?

1. Multiple Attestations: The fact that variations of this saying appear across independent Gospel sources (John and the Synoptics) suggests that it was an authentic part of Jesus’ teachings, though possibly misunderstood or distorted over time.
2. Historical Plausibility: Jesus spoke frequently about the coming destruction of the temple (e.g., Mark 13:2). His statement in John could have been a symbolic prophecy about his death and resurrection, which was later taken literally by some hearers. If Jesus did speak in this way, it’s plausible that his words were later misrepresented during his trial and crucifixion.
3. Oral Tradition and Theological Interpretation: In John’s Gospel, the statement is interpreted spiritually—Jesus is the new “temple,” and his resurrection is the true rebuilding. The Synoptic Gospels emphasize how people misunderstood his words, which actually strengthens the case for authenticity. If this were a later invention, why include it as an accusation or misunderstanding rather than a clear, prophetic claim?

Conclusion

Given that this statement appears across multiple Gospel traditions, is historically plausible, and aligns with Jesus’ known teaching style, it is very likely that Jesus said something similar about destroying and rebuilding the temple. However, whether his original audience understood it correctly is another question. John’s Gospel gives us a theological interpretation, while the Synoptic Gospels show how Jesus’ words were misconstrued by his opponents.

Thus, we can conclude that the temple saying is authentic, but its full meaning was only understood after Jesus’ resurrection. What was once a misunderstood prophecy of doom turned out to be a profound declaration of victory—the raising of a new temple, not made of stone, but of resurrected life.

Now only can we confirm this saying to be authentic if we run course that the gospels were written by individuals who knew the oral tradition of the time. We can also infer that Jesus claimed to have supernatural powers and if we used the version of Mark, it says the temple he would build is one not of hands, therefore not physical. With this, we can confirm not only that this saying is authentic , but that Christian belief that the Jesus body is the new temple can be traced to 1st Century and not later development.