John 7 Verses 33-36 

John 7:33 “Then said Jesus unto them, Yet a little while am I with you, and then I go unto him that sent me. 34 Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am, thither ye cannot come. 35 Then said the Jews among themselves, Whither will he go, that we shall not find him? will he go unto the dispersed among the Gentiles, and teach the Gentiles? 36 What manner of saying is this that he said, Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am, thither ye cannot come?” 

“Then said Jesus unto them, Yet a little while am I with you, and then I go unto him that sent me. 34 Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am, thither ye cannot come.”  Jesus was informing these unbelieving Jews about what he was going to do.  First, his stay with them would only be for a little while.  Second, after his death, burial and resurrection, which they knew nothing about, he would ascend back to the Father who sent him.  Third, he told them that they would seek him, but not find him.  Even today among that nation they are still seeking the Messiah, whom they never recognized had come and they knew him not.  Fourth, Jesus told them that “where I am ye cannot come.”  Heaven’s glory world is reserved for the elect family of God who will be taken there in the second coming of Christ in the morning of the resurrection.  No man on earth has the ability to ascend unto heaven while he lives in this life. 

“Then said the Jews among themselves, Whither will he go, that we shall not find him? will he go unto the dispersed among the Gentiles, and teach the Gentiles?”  The thinking of these unbelieving Jews was only on earthly things.  They could not understand that Jesus was talking about heavenly things. 

“What manner of saying is this that he said, Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am, thither ye cannot come?” The Lord had blinded their minds that they could not see that he spoke of spiritual things.

John 7 Verses 37-43 

John 7:37 “In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. 38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. 39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.) 40 Many of the people therefore, when they heard this saying, said, Of a truth this is the Prophet. 41 Others said, This is the Christ. But some said, Shall Christ come out of Galilee? 42 Hath not the scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was? 43 So there was a division among the people because of him.” 

“In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. 38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. 39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)”  We read in Matt. 5:6 “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.”  A person who hungers and thirst after righteousness is in a blessed condition, moreover, the Lord said that such shall be filled.  We come to Jesus in order to drink of those flowing gospel waters brought to us through the Holy Spirit.  The rivers of God’s grace and mercy and love flow down to us and satisfy our thirst for spiritual things. 

“Many of the people therefore, when they heard this saying, said, Of a truth this is the Prophet.”  While Jesus was indeed that prophet God informed Moses about, yet he was more than just a specific prophet.  He is the Son of God and Savior of His elect family.   

“Others said, This is the Christ. But some said, Shall Christ come out of Galilee? 42 Hath not the scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was?”  Oftentimes unbelief comes from ignorance and false ideas.  This answer above shows the ignorance of the people to the fact that while Jesus grew up in Galilee; he had been born in Bethlehem and was of the seed of David.   

“So there was a division among the people because of him.”

John 7 Verses 44-53  

John 7:44 “And some of them would have taken him; but no man laid hands on him. 45 Then came the officers to the chief priests and Pharisees; and they said unto them, Why have ye not brought him? 46 The officers answered, Never man spake like this man. 47 Then answered them the Pharisees, Are ye also deceived? 48 Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him? 49 But this people who knoweth not the law are cursed. 50 Nicodemus saith unto them, (he that came to Jesus by night, being one of them,) 51 Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth? 52 They answered and said unto him, Art thou also of Galilee? Search, and look: for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet. 53 And every man went unto his own house.” 

From the above passage we make the following observations: 

1.  The chief priests, Pharisees, and rulers of the people were desirous to take Jesus and put him to death but were continually frustrated in their efforts. 

2.  The officers though instructed to take Jesus did not do so, because as they said, “Never man spake like this man.”  The officers thus perceived that there was something special about Jesus and thus they were not willing to take Jesus into custody.   

3.  The Pharisees, chief priests, and rulers accused the officers of being deceived. 

4.  The self-righteousness of the Pharisees was demonstrated in their attitude toward the people as they accused them of being ignorant of the law and being cursed because of their ignorance. 

5.  Nicodemus who had spoken with the Lord earlier, pointed out to the Pharisees and rulers that according to the law they were not to judge any man before they heard him and knew what he doeth.  To this they answered “Art thou also of Galilee? Search, and look: for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet.”  Thus, rather than look at what the law said, they accused Nicodemus of being of Galilee and defending Jesus whom they also believed to be of Galilee.