John 7:33

33 But Jesus told them, “I will be with you only a little longer. Then I will return to the one who sent me.

John 7:33 Meaning and Commentary

John 7:33

Then said Jesus unto them
To the officers that were sent to take him, and other unbelieving Jews that were about him:

yet a little while am I with you;
no longer than till the next passover, which was but about half a year at most: this he might say, partly to quicken the attention of the people to him, to make the best use and improvement of his ministry whilst they had it, since in a little time he would be removed from them; and partly to suggest to the officers that were sent to take him, that they, and their masters, need not have given themselves that trouble, for in a short time he should be gone from them, and till that time he should continue in spite of them.

And [then] I go unto him that sent me;
still confirming his mission from God, expressing his death by going, and as being voluntary, and signifying his glory and happiness after it.

John 7:33 In-Context

31 Many among the crowds at the Temple believed in him. “After all,” they said, “would you expect the Messiah to do more miraculous signs than this man has done?”

32 When the Pharisees heard that the crowds were whispering such things, they and the leading priests sent Temple guards to arrest Jesus.

33 But Jesus told them, “I 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.”

35 The Jewish leaders were puzzled by this statement. “Where is he planning to go?” they asked. “Is he thinking of leaving the country and going to the Jews in other lands? Maybe he will even teach the Greeks!