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NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Joh_7:32-36
32The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering these things about Him, and the chief priests and the Pharisees sent officers to seize Him. 33Therefore Jesus said, "For a little while longer I am with you, then I go to Him who sent Me. 34You will seek Me, and will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come." 35The Jews then said to one another, "Where does this man intend to go that we will not find Him? He is not intending to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks, is He? 36What is this statement that He said, 'You will seek Me, and will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come'?"
Joh_7:32 "the chief priests and the Pharisees" This refers to members of the Sanhedrin (see Special Topic at Joh_3:1). There was only one high priest, but since the time of Roman occupation, the office had become a political plum bargained for by several wealthy, Jewish families and passed from family member to family member.
▣ "sent officers to seize Him" This refers to the "Temple Police" who would have been Levites. They had limited authority outside of the Temple area itself (cf. Joh_7:45-46; Joh_18:3; Joh_18:12; Joh_18:18; Joh_18:22).
Joh_7:33 "For a little while longer I am with you" This is a common phrase in John (cf. Joh_12:35; Joh_13:33; Joh_14:19; Joh_16:16-19). Jesus knew who He was, what would happen to Him, and when (cf. Joh_12:23; Joh_13:1; Joh_17:1-5).
▣ "I go to Him who sent Me" This refers to the concluding events of Jesus' mission of redemption: the crucifixion, the resurrection, the ascension, and the restoration to pre-existent glory (cf. Joh_17:1-5; Acts 1).
Joh_7:34 This wording is very similar to Jesus' discussion with the disciples in the upper room (Joh_13:33; cf. Joh_7:36; Joh_8:21). However, here it refers to unbelievers (i.e., the crowd, the Jerusalemites, and the Jewish leadership).
Joh_7:35-36 "He is not intending to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks, is He" The Greek grammatical construction expects a "no" answer. This is another use of irony. This has always been God's will (cf. Gen_3:15; Gen_12:3; Isa_2:2-4). During the Feast of Tabernacles, seventy bulls were offered for the nations of the world. The Jews were obligated to pray for and bring light to the Gentiles. This may reflect the cultural setting of this statement. The term "Greeks" was used in the sense of "Gentiles." The term disperia referred to Jewish people living in Gentile lands (cf. Jas_1:1; 1Pe_1:1). This is another example of the crowd misunderstanding Jesus' metaphorical language.
This is another example of Jesus' vertical dualism. The crowd has misunderstood Him because they interpreted His statements literally instead of the "above" and "below" categories of His teachings. He was from the Father and would return to the Father.