Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."
Why was Jesus not more cooperative? First, He controlled when as well as how He would act under the Father’s authority, and the time was not yet right for a dramatic sign (cf. John 2:4). Second, these Jews had already demonstrated that they had no real interest in justice, only in discrediting Jesus (John 2:18). They did not sincerely want a sign. They would not have acknowledged Jesus’ authority even if He had performed a miracle for them.