John places the account early in Jesus' ministry. Angered over the temple courts having been filled with money changers and sacrificial animals, Jesus cracked the whip and cleansed His Father's house. Not surprisingly, those in charge ask for a sign. "Do something that will show us that you have the authority to do what you just did."
Jesus invited them to destroy the same temple He had just cleansed, and He would rebuild it in three days. The temple had taken 46 years to build. How could anyone rebuild it in 3 days? Friend and foe alike were equally in the dark. John says that it was years later, only after Jesus was raised from the dead, that His disciples understood what He had meant.
I was struck by how willing the Lord was to leave His disciples in the dark. We approach the Lord as if we should always understand everything He is doing. And yet, Jesus was often content to leave even His closest friends confused and bewildered.
It shouldn't surprise us when we have no clue as to what God is doing or why He is allowing things to unfold as they are. God will periodically give all of us times when we can only walk by faith, when the best we can do is trust that He knows what He's doing.
After Jesus had risen, John and the other disciples finally understood. In our lives too, all things will one day make sense. But until then we don't need to have all of our questions answered. We only need to trust that He knows what He is doing, that all of His ways are perfect, and that one day we will stand amazed at the completeness of His faithfulness.
