John 7:32-36

32  The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering such things about him. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees sent
temple guards to arrest him.

33  Jesus said,  “I am with you for only a short time,  and then I am going to the one who sent me.  34  You will look
for me, but you will not find me; and where I am, you cannot come.”

35  The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we cannot find him? Will he go where our
people live scattered  among the Greeks,  and teach the Greeks?  36  What did he mean when he said,  ‘You will look
for me, but you will not find me,’  and  ‘Where I am, you cannot come’?”

Background

A. Jewish leaders were plotting to capture and kill Jesus after He healed on the Sabbath and declared
Himself God sent, a statement considered blasphemy which was punishable by execution. The Jews were
celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles, the end of the harvest time and the conclusion of the agricultural year
in Judea, and Jerusalem was booming with people from all over the land.

B. The Jewish nation had been held together by their religious beliefs. Through the centuries the Jewish
people had been conquered by army after army, and by the millions they had been deported and scattered
over the world. Even in the day of Jesus, they were enslaved by Rome.

C. Their religion was the binding force that kept Jews together, in particular their belief that God had called
them to be a distinctive people who worshipped the only true and living God, their rules governing the
Sabbath and the temple, their laws governing intermarriage, worship, and cleansing, and their rules
governing what foods they could and couldn’t eat.

D. Their religious beliefs and rules protected them from alien beliefs and from being swallowed up by other
nationalities through intermarriage. Their religion was what maintained their distinctiveness as people and
as a nation. Jewish leaders knew this. So they opposed anyone or anything that threatened or attempted to
break the laws of their religion and nation.

E. In spite of persecution from the Jewish leaders, Jesus continued to teach and preach in Jerusalem where a
large number of people became curious concerning His true identity.

Meaning of the Verses

32
A. The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees and the
chief priests sent officers to take Him.” (John 7:32)

1. Pharisees ruled in the synagogues. They were an extremely devout and proud group, especially those
from Jerusalem. They were meticulous at trying to keep the Law of Moses

2. Pharisees were Rabbis who politically opposed Sadducees or priests of which a select few members of
the Sanhedrin, the leading authority among the Jews. Pharisees, who were teachers of the law and
Sadducees, the enforcers, seldom engaged in a combined effort to capture and kill a man.
 3. It was clear their motivation was self serving, and driven by hate for someone who was showing the
ability to perform miracles and show signs they themselves could not explain.

33
B. Then Jesus said to them, “I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to Him who sent Me. 34
You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come.”” (John 7:33-34)

1. Jesus foretell His own destiny

He foretold His death when He said, “I am with you for only a short time.”

He foretold His resurrection and ascension when He said, “Then I go to the one who sent me.”

Jesus revealed the time was approaching for God to ascend Him to Heaven where the Son of the most
High will rejoice for all time.

2. He foretold man’s destiny

He predicted a tragic future for those who opposed Him and wanted nothing to do with Him. He said
that the day is coming when they will look for Him but not find Him and that’s because where He is
they will not be allowed to come.

What Jesus meant was just what He said.

 The person who rejects Christ will face the day when they will seek Christ.

 But the tragedy is that the unbeliever will not find Christ. It will be too late.

 Unbelievers will not be allowed to come where Jesus is, that is, to live in God’s presence. 

35
F. Then the Jews said among themselves, “Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him? Does
He intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? 36 What is this thing that He
said, ‘You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come’?”” (John 7:35-36)

1. This is the reaction of the rulers and authorities. Very simply, they were puzzled, questioning what
Jesus meant. The scattered or dispersed refers to the Jews who were scattered all over the world that I
talked about a minute ago. They thought Jesus meant He was going to leave Israel and go to some
foreign nation, preaching to the Jews there.

2. Those who opposed Jesus were puzzled by His death, resurrection and ascension. It was hard for them
to grasp its meaning and to believe in Him. In fact, it was offensive to them. This was exactly what Jesus
had said.
Lesson
1. Grab every opportunity to live a joyful life with Christ as you follow and serve Him.

Opportunities to live for Jesus vibrantly and passionately can pass us by each day while our hearts grow
callused. One day, there will be no more opportunities, not because Jesus will withdraw the offer but
because we each have only a limited lifespan. Our hearts may grow hard, our bodies may grow too weak,
our circumstances may degrade, or our influence may be lost. "I will be with you only a little longer,"

Let's respond to Jesus with passion today before our hearts grow cold or our time runs out.

2. Those who are earthly minded with no faith in Christ are not going to where Jesus
was.