Saturday in Epiphany 1: In three days I will raise it up

Opening Sentence

From the rising of the sun to its setting my Name shall be great among the nations, and in every place incense shall be offered to my Name, and a pure offering; for my Name shall be great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts. Malachi 1:11

Collect of the Day

Father in heaven, who at the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan proclaimed him your beloved Son and anointed him with the Holy Spirit: Grant that all who are baptized into his Name may keep the covenant they have made, and boldly confess him as Lord and Savior; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

Psalter: Psalm 20, 21

Lessons: Genesis 6:9-22, Hebrews 4:1-13, John 2:13-22

Truly, the Evangelist says, [2:21] But he was speaking of the temple of his body, because he believed it was appropriate to explain the meaning of these more obscure words of Christ.

But how is it possible that the heretics do not consider that he, after the words, "destroy this temple," added, "I will raise it up in three days?" In this way he clearly shows that he did not refer the destruction to himself, but to the temple [of his body] that was going to be destroyed. He did not need anything else to restore the temple. He could do it himself.

"In three days," he says, "I will raise it up," that is, I will resurrect it. Therefore, even though it is said that the Father raises Christ, there is no doubt what this expression means. The agreement that is between them both in all operations causes them to be attributed with equal right to both the Father and the Son.

Then, explaining the word of our Lord, the Evangelist says, [2:22] After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken. The Evangelist says this in order to show that the disciples had not understood the Lord either when he said those things. But the fulfillment of the events will make them understand what was said and will render them more certain about the full sense of his words and works.

Theodore of Mopsuestia

Commentary on the Gospel of John

I Am the Bread of Life