John 8:21
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Again He said to them, “I am going away, and you will look for Me, but you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.”
Commentaries
Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.
Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my way, &c.--(See on Joh 7:33).
Open source ↗Christ here gives fair warning to the careless unbelieving Jews to consider what would be the consequence of their infidelity, that they might prevent it before it was too late; for he spoke words of terror as well as words of grace. Observe here, I. The wrath threatened (Joh 8:21): Jesus said again unto them that which might be likely to do them good. He continued to teach, in kindness to those few who received his doctrine, though there were many that resisted it, which is an example to ministers to go on with their work, notwithstanding opposition, because a remnant shall be saved. Here Christ changes his voice; he had piped to them in the offers of his grace, and they had not danced; now he mourns to them in the denunciations of his wrath, to try if they would lament. He said, I go my way, and you shall seek me, and shall die in your sins. Whither I go you cannot come. Every word is terrible, and bespeaks spiritual judgments, which are the sorest of all judgments; worse than war, pestilence, and captivity, which the Old Testament prophets denounced. Four things are here threatened against the Jews. 1. Christ's departure from them: I go my way, that is, "It shall not be long before I go; you need not take so much pains to drive me from you, I shall go of myself." They said to him, Depart from us, we desire not the knowledge of thy ways; and he takes them at their word; but woe to those from whom Christ departs. Ichabod, the glory is gone, our defence is departed, when Christ goes. Christ frequently warned them of his departure before he left them: he bade often farewell, as one loth to depart, and willing to be invited, and that would have them stir up themselves to take hold on him. 2. Their enmity to the true Messiah, and their fruitless and infatuated enquiries af…
Open source ↗8:21 In the earlier debate at the festival, Jesus’ origins were at issue (7:27). Here, Jesus mentioned going away to the place he came from, meaning heaven. However, once again, his words were misunderstood.
Open source ↗Original language
The Hebrew and Greek words behind this passage, with Strong's numbers — from openscriptures (CC BY-SA).
Cross-references
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You will look for Me, but you will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come.”
That is why I told you that you would die in your sins. For unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”
Little children, I am with you only a little while longer. You will look for Me, and as I said to the Jews, so now I say to you: ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’
And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
He said this to indicate the kind of death He was going to die.
Then Jesus told them, “For a little while longer, the Light will be among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going.
The youthful vigor that fills his bones will lie down with him in the dust.
When the wicked man dies, his hope perishes, and the hope of his strength vanishes.
As surely as the LORD your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my lord has not sent someone to search for you. When they said, ‘He is not here,’ he made that kingdom or nation swear that they had not found you.
No longer will a nursing infant live but a few days, or an old man fail to live out his years. For the youth will die at a hundred years, and he who fails to reach a hundred will be considered accursed.