33
But Jesus told them, âI will be with you only a little longer. Then I will return to the one who sent me.
34
You will search for me but not find me. And you cannot go where I am going.â
35
The Jewish leaders were puzzled by this statement. âWhere is he planning to go?â they asked. âIs he thinking of leaving the country and going to the Jews in other lands? Maybe he will even teach the Greeks!
36
What does he mean when he says, âYou will search for me but not find me,â and âYou cannot go where I am goingâ?â
37
On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, âAnyone who is thirsty may come to me!
38
Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, âRivers of living water will flow from his heart.ââ
39
(When he said âliving water,â he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory.)
40
When the crowds heard him say this, some of them declared, âSurely this man is the Prophet weâve been expecting.â
41
Others said, âHe is the Messiah.â Still others said, âBut he canât be! Will the Messiah come from Galilee?
42
For the Scriptures clearly state that the Messiah will be born of the royal line of David, in Bethlehem, the village where King David was born.â
43
So the crowd was divided about him.