“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, thence ye cannot come? — the people express confusion at Jesus's statement, not understanding its meaning. The incomprehension of the crowd underscores the gap between Jesus's revelation and human understanding. His words are mysterious, operating on more than one level: a literal level (geographical), a spiritual level (access to God), and an eschatological level (the interval between resurrection and return). The crowd cannot penetrate the mystery because they do not yet have the Spirit that will illumine Jesus's words.
Church Fathers on John 7:36
And many of the people believed in Him. Our Lord; brought the poor and humble to be saved. The common people, who soon saw their own infirmities, received His medicine without hesitation.
Neither had these however a sound faith; but took up a low way of speaking, after the manner of the multitude: When Christ comes, will He do more miracles than this Man has done? Their saying, When Christ comes, shows that they were not steady in believing that He was the Christ: or rather, that they did not believe He was the Christ at all; for it is the same as if they said, that Christ, when He came, would be a superior person, and do more miracles. Minds of the grosser…
for if they reviled Him who was sent, no doubt they did an injury to Him that sent.
Read all 17 entries in the readerCatena Aurea · St. Thomas Aquinas, tr. J. H. Newman · public domain
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