32 When the Pharisees heard the crowd whispering these things about Jesus, they and the chief priests sent officers to arrest Him. 33 So Jesus said, “I am with you only a little while longer, 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 At this, the Jews said to one another, “Where does He intend to go that we will not find Him? Will He go where the Jews are dispersed among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks? 36 What does He mean by saying, ‘You will look for Me, but you will not find Me,’ and, ‘Where I am, you cannot come’?”

REFLECTIONS

Written by Herman Tu

Imagine this: You’ve recruited Stephen Shead to lead your Bible study. You have all been praying for this moment. And he finally comes … and the first words he speaks in front of you all are: “I will do no more Bible studies. Plus, you will not find me at all.” One of your group members says, “He is going back to Chile!” But he says he isn't and you cannot find him.

How would you feel? I would be shocked. Confused. Curious. And I would feel utterly stupid. (Of course, I’m not really comparing Stephen to Jesus – that’s just a fun little illustration!)

When Jesus arrives on the scene, he performs many miracles and teaches as one with authority. The Jewish people see this and begin to realise that the Christ has potentially come (v25). Could this be the prophesied Messiah who would bring his people into an enduring kingdom? We’re told that some of the Jewish people were starting to believe in Him (v31) – they would have been so excited that he had come.

So it’s no wonder that when Jesus said, “I am with you only a little while longer, and then I am going to the One who sent Me” (v33), the Jewish people became shocked too. There is a mismatch between expectations and understanding.

Then again, many of them did not believe, and they had already tried to seize Jesus (v30). And the religious leaders were still intent on killing Jesus and were trying to arrest him (v32). It’s not surprising that Jesus left them confused – it was not yet his time to die (v30).

Thankfully, the Jewish people’s confusion about Jesus helps us to accurately see Jesus.

“Where does He intend to go that we will not find Him?” We know! He is going to the cross, to fulfil the mission the Father has sent him to carry out, and to conquer sin and death.

“You will look for Me, but you will not find Me.” We know how to find him! They were chasing after the wrong kind of Messiah and so rejected Jesus. But we know that Jesus is the Messiah, and we have found him by trusting in him.

“Where I am, you cannot come”? We know! Jesus is seated at the right hand of power.

Jesus always had in mind the will of his Father. He knew in miraculous detail where he was going and the pain he would suffer on the cross for us. Give thanks for God’s great rescue plan through His Son. Pray for those who do not see Jesus clearly, that they may see Him as Saviour and Lord over all.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Herman is a member of our Fairfield Evening congregation.