Those who passed by derided him, shaking their heads and saying, ‘Aha! You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself, and come down from the cross!’ (Mark 15: 29-30)

In the second chapter of John, during the cleansing of the temple, Jesus says, "Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up." This was remembered, if not understood.

I am a conservative. I would have been skeptical of Jesus during his ministry. I might have listened sympathetically. But most likely I would have seen him as impractical.

The crucifixion would have confirmed this judgment. Such a shameful and early death would have seemed proof-positive that Jesus had made a bad choice of his tactics.

I would have avoided Golgotha and would not - except perhaps to my wife - have said anything critical of Jesus. But my private thoughts would have joined in the derision.

Certainly I would not have understood that the temple to be raised in three days was the man now hanging naked and bloody on the hill outside the city.

Above is the Crucifixion of Christ by Matthias Grunewald.