Charles Ellicott Commentary Matthew 27:63

"saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said while he was yet alive, After three days I rise again." — Matthew 27:63 (ASV)

We remember that that deceiver said... It appears, then, that even though they had deliberately stirred up the passions of the people by representing the mysterious words of John 2:14 as a threat to literally destroy the Temple (Matthew 26:61; Matthew 27:40), they themselves had understood, wholly or in part, their true meaning. We are perhaps surprised that in this respect they would have been more clear-sighted than the disciples, but in such a matter, sorrow and disappointment confuse the mind, while suspicion sharpens the intellect.

That deceiver. They had used the related verb to describe Him before (John 7:12), and this was perhaps their usual way of speaking of Him.