John 7:36
What manner of saying is this that he said, Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am, thither ye cannot come? What manner of saying is this that he said, Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am, thither ye cannot come?
At the Jerusalem feast the rulers were watching Jesus closely to find ways to silence Him and entrap Him and to humble Him before the people. Their challenge to His right to teach was intended to turn attention away from Him and to assert their own authority in His place. Against that background He warned them that they would seek Him and would not find Him, and that where He was going they could not come. The saying drew from them the puzzled question recorded in this verse, as they repeated His words back in inquiry.
They wondered whether He meant to go to the Jews scattered among the Gentiles and then teach the Gentiles, which showed they did not grasp what He was saying. Their misunderstanding left the warning unheeded even as events bore it out, for His enemies repeatedly failed to seize Him. Though they sought grounds to condemn Him and even tried to stone Him, He withdrew from them. Officers sent to arrest Him likewise returned unable to lay hands on Him.