John 2 - Why did Messiah refer to His body as the Temple? 2021

John 2:18
The Jews therefore answered and said to Him, "What sign do You show to us, seeing that You do these things?"

John 2:19
Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."

John 2:20
The Jews therefore said, "It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?"

The temple at this time was Herod's temple and it was still under construction. It had been under construction for 46 years. In verses 14 & 15, the word used for temple was "hieron" which means "the entire temple" which was what Messiah cleansed. Here in verses 19 and 20, the Greek word for temple is "naos" which refers to the inner sanctuary of the temple.
Why did Yeshua refer to His body as the Temple? Because He was filled with the Spirit of His Father(1 Corinthians 6:19).

John 2:21
But He was speaking of the temple of His body.

When Yeshua referred to the temple and said He would "raise it up," the Greek word "egeiro" was used. This word actually means "to wake up." This word is used four other times in this Book of John and it always refers to a waking up from the dead.