King James Bible
"Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you."
Jesus addresses his disciples with tender affection as 'little children,' emphasizing their spiritual dependence on him. He announces his imminent departure during the Last Supper, preparing them emotionally for the crucifixion that would occur within hours. Jesus predicts the disciples' coming confusion and longing after his death, when they would desperately desire his physical presence. This seeking reflects both their grief at separation and their incomplete understanding of his resurrection and spiritual presence. Jesus references his earlier statement to the Jewish leaders (John 7:34), but now applies it to his own followers. The destination is his return to the Father through death, a path the disciples cannot immediately follow. This emphatic repetition underscores that even his closest disciples face the same temporary separation from him. The parallel treatment shows that physical proximity to Jesus must give way to a new form of relationship through the Spirit.