welcome to today's encouragement from our daily bread devotional for today titled reading backwards was written by Mark tahan
 reading the last chapter of a mystery novel first may sound like a bad idea to those who love the suspense of a good story but some people enjoy reading a book more if they know how it is in the book reading backwards author Richard Hayes shows how important the practice is for our understanding of the Bible by illustrating how the unfolding words and events of scripture anticipate Echo and throw light on one another professor Hayes gives us reason to read our Bibles forward and backward Hayes reminds readers that it was only after Jesus's resurrection that his disciples understood his claim to rebuild a destroyed temple in three days the Apostle John tells us the temple he had spoken of was his body only then could they understand a meaning of their Passover celebration never before understood only in retro
 back good they reflect on how Jesus gave fullness of meaning to an ancient Kings deep feelings for the house of God Only by re-reading their scriptures in light of the true temple of God Jesus himself could the disciples grass pal the ritual of Israel's religion and Messiah would throw light on one another and now only by reading the same scriptures backward and forward can we see in Jesus everything that any of us has ever needed or long for
today's our daily bread devotional scripture reading comes to us from the Gospel of John Chapter 2 verses 13 through 22 when it was almost time for the Jewish Passover Jesus went up to Jerusalem in the temple courts he found people selling cattle sheep and doves and other sitting at tables exchanging money so he made a whip out of cords and drove all from the temple courts both sheep and cattle he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturn their tables to those who sold Dobbs he said get these out of here stop turning my father's house into a market his disciples remembered that it is written Zeal for your house will consume me the Jews then responded to him what sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this
 Jesus answered them destroy this Temple and I will raise it again in three days they replied it has taken 46 years to build this Temple and you are going to raise it in three days
 but the temple he had spoken of was his body after he was raised from the dead his disciples recalled what he had said then they believe the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken
 let's pray Father in Heaven thank you for letting us live long enough to see your ability to show up and reveal The Wonder of your presents and ways we could not have foreseen and it's in Jesus name that we pray amen
 thanks for listening today my name is Wes Ward and today's Challenge and encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries