John 7:26-36 : “Behold, he speaks openly, and they say nothing to him. Can it be that the rulers indeed know that this is truly the Christ? However we know where this man comes from, but when the Christ comes, no one will know where he comes from.” Jesus therefore cried out in the temple, teaching and saying, “You both know me, and know where I am from. I have not come of myself, but he who sent me is true, whom you don’t know. I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me.” They sought therefore to take him; but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come. But of the multitude, many believed in him. They said, “When the Christ comes, he won’t do more signs than those which this man has done, will he?” The Pharisees heard the multitude murmuring these things concerning him, and the chief priests and the Pharisees sent officers to arrest him. Then Jesus said, “I will be with you a little while longer, then I go to him who sent me. You will seek me, and won’t find me; and where I am, you can’t come.” The Jews therefore said among themselves, “Where will this man go that we won’t find him? Will he go to the Dispersion among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks? What is this word that he said, ‘You will seek me, and won’t find me; and where I am, you can’t come’?”

This section shows the stark contrast between a very stable Jesus and an extremely unstable people. Jesus just said the same things He had been saying, even in the face of His death. The people were staring to move toward this stability, while the religious leaders became very unstable as they sent men to arrest Him but really couldn’t do anything. These leaders were watching their people move away from them and toward Jesus. As these leaders wandered ever farther from God, their road became more difficult.

Jesus explained that He was going to leave them. The religious leaders took it as a threat to run away. Actually, these Jews were missing their chance at life. He wasn’t running away, they were about to lose their lives. We know that Jesus loved these leaders as He loved (and continues to love) all of the Jews. They are His own people and He is their Messiah. He will save them. Listen to what Paul says about it later in the Bible:

Romans 10:1-4 : Brothers, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God is for Israel, that they may be saved. For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, they didn’t subject themselves to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the fulfillment of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

Jesus still plans to be the champion of the Jews and He will be in a new day of great stability and peace that is yet to come.

Romans 11:25-26 : For I don’t desire you to be ignorant, brothers, of this mystery, so that you won’t be wise in your own conceits, that a partial hardening has happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in and so all Israel will be saved. Even as it is written