Contradiction with John 2:19
John 2:19 mentions Jesus saying He will "raise it up" in three days, implying He has authority over the temple's reconstruction, whereas Matthew 26:61 refers to an accusation of Him saying He would "destroy" the temple and build it in three days, which is taken out of context.
John 2:19: Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.
Paradox #1
The potential contradiction in Matthew 26:61 could be about Jesus' statement regarding the destruction of the temple and raising it in three days. This may seem inconsistent because the physical temple was not destroyed and rebuilt in that timeframe. However, this can be resolved by understanding that Jesus was speaking metaphorically about His body being raised from the dead in three days, not about the physical temple.
Paradox #2
One potential contradiction involves Jesus' trial where He is accused of saying He would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days. However, in the Gospel of John, Jesus referred to the temple of His body, not the physical temple. The misunderstanding or misrepresentation of His words by the accusers creates an inconsistency between His original statement and the accusation.
Paradox #3
The contradiction or inconsistency concerns the statement that Jesus said He could "destroy the temple" and "rebuild it in three days." The conflict arises because the physical temple in Jerusalem took many years to build, and it is not something that could be reconstructed in just three days in a literal sense. The statement is often understood in a metaphorical or spiritual sense, referring to His resurrection, rather than a literal numerical timeframe.