John 7:33-34 Therefore Jesus said, “For a little while longer I am with you, then I go to Him who sent Me. You will seek Me, and will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come.”
Jesus knew He was going to His Father soon—a few months. This feast of Tabernacles was a fall festival to be followed in the spring with Passover. He also knew this crowd would play a significant part in His return to heaven to be with His Father who sent Him. They would crucify Him.
Let’s follow this last sentence very carefully. He said, “You will seek me, and will not find me; and where I am (I would’ve expected him to say, ‘and where I am going’) you cannot come.” Or to stay consistent with the tense He might have said, “Where I am, you aren’t” one commentator explained it this way.
“You will not find Me, and where I am [i.e., will ‘be’ at that future time] you are not able to come [i.e., then].” We would probably not be very likely to say it like this in English. We would be more likely to say, as you rightly suspect: "... and where I will[then] be, you will not be able to come." In the next verse, it is clear the audience took Him to mean a future event, for they questioned, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find Him?”
Two things strike me about what Jesus said. First, is the sad reality that there are many who cannot come to where Jesus is—at the right hand of the Father in heaven. Those who refuse to believe in the historical Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God, and the only way to the Father, cannot come to heaven. By choosing to pursue their own wills, they cannot enter into eternal life.
Second, I’m struck by the incredible privilege and grace God has given to me that I have entered into the place where Jesus is—in the bosom of the Father in heaven, where I have and experience eternal life. It is out of that place that the love of God flows into my being and through my life. That’s why I call it living to love with Jesus. I’m with Him where He is, and therefore my purpose in life is in Him.
Have you come to where Jesus is? I hope so, but if you haven’t, you may. Jesus said that He is the way, the truth, and the life, and that He is the only way to the Father. I invite you to surrender your will to Him. Be willing to do His will, which is to believe in Jesus as God and to trust in His righteousness rather than your own. According to the Scriptures, He came to die for the sins committed against Him and was raised to live for those who believe and trust in Him. I hope you won’t wait to come to where He is. Receive His life. Surrender yourself to Him now, as soon as this podcast is over. Heavenly Father, give eternal life to all who come to you now through Your Son, Jesus. Give them the heart and words to say to You in repentance for living for themselves and trusting in their own works. May they give You glory as they give their lives to You and trust in Jesus. Lord Jesus, You have authority to give eternal life to all who trust in You. Give it according to Your promise to all who hear my voice and trust in You. Bring them into the joy of living to love with You for the rest of their lives. Thank you. Amen
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