"The Watchtower and every JW that I have spoken with denies that Jesus raised himself from the dead."
Because a dead person can not raise himself from the dead. If he could he would not be dead. There is your paradox.
"Was Jesus lying?" No, you just misinterpret one of his many cryptic statements.
"No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. - John 10: 18"
That is not his resurrecting himself.
Actually he didn't have the power to lay down his life. He did it because his Father prophesied it and he had the power to take it up again because his Father prophesied it. His power to take it back came from his obedience.
"Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up .... he spake of the temple of his body. When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this - John 2: 19-22"
That's not a correct quote.
"Jesus replied to them: “Tear down this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
20 The Jews then said: “This temple was built in 46 years, and will you raise it up in three days?”
21 But he was talking about the temple of his body."
Jesus did not say what was in vs 21. Notice how that was in the 3rd person? John wrote that in retrospect, not Jesus.
Was John correct?
Was John saying the temple that was raised up was his body? It seems that the temple that Jesus referred to that would be torn down was his body when it died. But what he referred to that would be raised up was not his body, but the spiritual temple. That was put in action by his offering the value of his blood to his father in the 3 days.
With his blood being offered as a sacrifice how could his body be raised without blood in it?
