Exposition of John, Chapter 7 · Verse 19 – Verse 20
Verſe 33. Then ſaid Jeſus unto them, Yet a little while I am with you, and then I go unto him that ſent me.
34. Ye ſhall ſeek me, and ſhall not finde me: and where I am, thither ye cannot come.
Followeth Chriſts Sermon on this occaſion, ſpoken in audience of all the people, as appeareth, ver. 35. and of the officers alſo, as may be gathered from, ver. 46. The ſumme of it is; That however they thought him a thorn in their ſide, and that they would never be well till he were gone; Yet he would continue the time appointed him, and then he would returne to the Father. But they needed not be ſo earneſt, for they would want him but too ſoone, and ſhould not finde him, though they would gladly have him. So that this doctrine contains not only a conſolation which Chriſt takes unto himſelfe, that he would be preſerved from their fury till his hour was come, and then would returne unto his Father, where he would be without their reach: But a threatning alſo againſt the perſecutors. For albeit the ſame be alſo ſaid to his diſciples, Chap. 13. 33. yet in different ſenſes; for though the outward ſeparation was the ſame, yet his heart was diverſly affected toward them; The ſeparation of the one was but for a time, and in part only; but the others, perpetual, and total, as is to be cleared in its own place. Here the meaning is, that they would want him but too ſoone, and he being gone, in their enſueing calamities, they ſhould miſſe their promiſed Meſſiah, but finde none, ſince they ſought another then him. And though they would be glad of him, yet they ſhould not be able to finde or come to him in heaven, ſeeing they underſtood not ſpiritual ſeeking, and wanted faith, whereby to obtain acceſſe. Doctrine 1. It beſeemeth Chriſts followers, not to be moved with dangers, but rather to be affected with pity toward perſecutors, and to warne them of their danger; for, ſo doth Chriſt here; He is not daunted with the coming of theſe officers, but preaches out his own encouragements, and their hazard to them. See Acts 20.23, 24. Jer. 26.14, 15. 2. It is but folly for perſecutors to think to gain their point by violence, or to put away Chriſt and his truth, for they will not be rid of him till he have done his work, but ſo long as he pleaſeth, he will ſtay, and vexe them more who are already angry enough; Therefore, ſaith he, notwithſtanding their great haſt, yet awhile am I with you. See Luke 13.31, 32, 33. 3. Men have little cauſe to be weary of Chriſt, nor need they ſeek to put him away by violence and perſecution, for their contempt and malice againſt him, and their not making uſe of him, will cauſe him to go away but too ſoone; Therefore, ſaith he to them, it is but yet a little while I am with you, being now near the end of his Miniſtry, and ſo he tels them they would have him but too ſhort while. 4, When perſecutors are doing their utmoſt, yet it is but a little while that Chriſt and his followers will be troubled with them, for death will put an end to the worſt of it; So much alſo is imported in this, yet a little while I am with you, and then I go, &c. 5. While Chriſt expreſſeth his violent death and ſufferings in theſe termes, I go, &c. he not onelyonly imports that he voluntarily underwent that death, otherwiſe none of them had power over his life, John 10.18. But alſo teacheth his followers not to be ſtrangers unto death, nor to look even upon a violent death for truth, in theſe colours wherein ſenſe would preſent it, but to be ſo familiar with death, and dwelling on thoughts of mortality that they may willingly cloſe with it, when they get a call, and ſay, I go. 6. It may ſweeten the godlies thoughts of death, even a violent one, to conſider, that h…re they are ſtrangers, then they go home; here they are unknown and perſecuted, there they will be owned and reſpected by God; for, ſo doth our forerunner caſt us the copy, I go unto him that ſent me, where I will be at home with my Father. See 2 Cor. 5.1, 2.3, 4 6. Phil. 1.23. 7. Albeit it be ſufficient matter of comfort to the godly, that God can, and when he pleaſeth, will preſerve them in the midſt of dangers; yet it addes to their comfort, that the day cometh, wherein they will be viſibly above the reach of all their enemies, and be made to triumph over them; for, ſo much alſo is held out here in Chriſts encouragement, that when he is gone, he would be above their fury, and they ſhould not reach him, though they would. See 1 Cor. 15.54, 55. 8. Greateſt deſpiſers of Chriſt may be made to miſſe and deſire him, when he is gone; for, ſaith he, ye ſhall ſeek me. Not onelyonly ſhall many of them deſire to have him to perſecute, but to no purpoſe (as is ſaid before;) but in the enſuing calamities, they would earneſtly long for, and deſire their Meſſiah, to be a comfort unto them. 9. There are many who may earneſtly ſeek after Chriſt, who yet, in Gods judgement, ſhall never finde him; for, ye ſhall ſeeke me, and ſhall not find me. See Amos 5.11, 12. For not onelyonly was their deſire too late, now when he is gone, (and ſeldome is ſuch a deſire ſincere) But. 1. They failed in ſeeking their Meſſiah in general, continuing to deſpiſe him, and perſecute him in his members; and ſo many pretend to love piety, when it is ſpoken of in a general notion, and yet do perſecute it, when they ſee particular effects of it in any. 2. They failed in deſiring a Meſſiah bodily preſent with them, when now he is gone to heaven. And herein they reap the juſt fruit of their deſpiſing him, when they had him among them, and of their carnal diſpoſitions, that could not aſcend by faith to him, if they had acknowledged him to be the Meſſiah. 3. They failed in their end in deſiring the Meſſiah, not that he might expiate their ſin and being in everlaſting righteouſneſſe, but onelyonly that he might deliver them from trouble, and make them proſper under him in the world. And therefore it is juſt, that ſuch ſeekers come no ſpeed, how earneſt however they ſeem to be. Doctrine 10. Such as deſire not Chriſts company, where they are, in this life, are juſtly ſecluded from coming to be where he is; for, therefore ſaith he to theſe who would perſecute him from among them; where I am, thither ye cannot come. Not onelyonly ſhall they be denied acceſſe in their ſeeking, but ſhall be ſecluded for ever from his, and his peoples bleſſed ſociety.
Ver. 35. Then ſaid the Jewes among themſelves, Whither will he go, that we ſhall not finde 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, tither ye cannot come?
This ſadde and grave doctrine gets but bad entertainment among theſe wicked hearers; who in ſtead of making uſe of this ſad meſſage and admonition, do carp at his expreſſions, wondering what he meant by them, or if his meaning was to leave them and go to the Jewes diſperſed among the Gentiles; For otherwiſe they could make no ſenſe of them. It ſeemes they carp thus, not out of ignorance, for they might eaſily have underſtood what he ſpake ſo plainly, verſe 33. of going to him that ſent him: But they evidence their perverſity and malice, in that they never trouble themſelves to keep him, nor propound any thing to him for information, but do onelyonly agitate the matter captiouſly among themſelves. Doctrine 1. Such is the perverſity of malicious men, that they will not onelyonly not regard admonitions and threatnings, but will openly ſcorne them and wilfully miſtake, and force obſcurity upon the doctrine of faithful Teachers, that they may deride them; for, ſo did they here with Chriſt and his doctrine. 2. Men do bewray their own corrupt diſpoſitions, pretend what they will, when they dare carp and cavil at doctrine, as dark and unclear, and yet never come to Chriſt, or the means he hath appointed, for reſolution; for, albeit they once, and again, repeat his words, and deſcant upon them, and carp at them, yet they ſaid it but among themſelves, and ſo prove that they deſired no: ſatisfaction, but were glad of ſomewhat to quarrel. 3. It is alſo a black mark upon men, (be their pretences what they will,) when they are little careful to keep Chriſt with them, or to make uſe of him while they have him; for, what ever they pretend of obſcurity in his doctrine, yet they avow it clearly enough, that they underſtood he was to leave them, and yet are not affected with it. 4. It is the ordinary ſin of a priviledged people, that they will not be ſenſible of any hazard of Chriſts forſaking and leaving them; for, while they enquire whither will he go? they inſinuate that if he were the true Meſſiah, he could get no ſuch people as them to go to, and if he went to the diſperſed among the Gentiles, (or Greeks, as the Gentiles are oft-times called in the New Teſtament, becauſe the Greeks, under Alexander and his ſucceſſors, had been lately of greateſt note among the Nations) and teach the Gentiles, it would rub more on him, as not being the true Meſſiah who left them, then upon them. And yet not onelyonly did what they apprehended come upon them (for he left them, and ſent his diſciples to the Gentiles, and theſe ſcattered Jewes, to whom Peter and James wrote their Epiſtles) but even what they ſay, was a refutation of their preſumption. For the condition of their diſperſed brethren was a witneſſe and evidence of what they all deſerved, and how much pains God had taken to drive them from that carnal conceit of their ſingular priviledges and prerogatives.