The title of this article is something that our Lord Jesus said and is recorded in the Gospel of John. The reason I chose this as the title of the article is because Jesus repeated this statement several times, in slight variations. Anything that is repeated in the Bible, you pay attention. Anything that is repeated more than once requires intense scrutiny!
So, the places where this phrase is used, or a variation of it are:
John 7:34
“You will seek me and you will not find me. Where I am you cannot come.”
John 8:21
“So he said to them again, “I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.””
John 13:33
“Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’”
John 13:36
“Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward.”
The interesting part about all these uses of a very similar language construct is that in the original Greek, they all vary enough to be somewhat distinct. The meaning is obviously similar. Let’s examine the context of what Jesus is saying, and to whom he is speaking in order to give ourselves a better understanding.
In the first statement (John 7:34), Jesus is speaking at the Temple to the Pharisees and Chief Priests. It’s not clear from the text, whether he made the statement directly to them, or through the officers who were sent to arrest him (by the Pharisees and Chief Priests). However, one thing is clear, the meaning in this case is that Jesus is telling them that their “Works” based “Religion” is not sufficient to get them to Heaven. In fact, no person is able, under their own power, to get to Heaven. Jesus had been telling them that anyone who seeks to do the will of the Father will listen and obey the teaching of the Son (Jesus).
In the second statement (John 8:21), Jesus is again speaking at the Temple (near the Treasury) to the Pharisees and he repeats his earlier statement with a slight variation: Jesus tells them where he is going they cannot come. This is a contrast to the earlier statement in that in John’s gospel, the words “eimi egO” are used (in verse 7:34) in the “where I am” (a reference to the “I am” possibly?) but in their usage as a pronoun or object form (not as a subject as in the 7 distinct “I AM” statements) and thus are reversed from their usual ordering in the “egO eimi” used elsewhere.
The second usage omits the “eimi” completely and simply uses the present active form of the verb to denote “am going” and so gives us this slight variation in the two texts. The meaning, however, is obviously the same, since Jesus’ audience is the same set of people, he means to tell them the same sad news – that their “Religiosity” will not get them to the prize of “Eternal life” in Heaven. Jesus had been speaking to them of the “Witness” about himself given by both himself as well as the Father’s testimony. Thus, here, Jesus tells them they must believe the teaching because the witness about himself is valid.
At this point in John’s gospel, we can ascertain that the Pharisees have asked him (Jesus) those three important questions: “Where did you come from?” Jesus’ answer to that was simple: “Heaven”. They also asked him from where he got his teaching? To which Jesus also replied: “Heaven”. The third question is the one we are dealing with here, and they simply cannot understand his response when he tells them where he is going: “Heaven”. It is just not in their framework of understanding to be able to make that leap of faith to assume that God himself would come to earth to both show us who he is and teach us about himself.
Thus, the last usage of this phrase in John 13:33 and John 13:36 gives us a different perspective on Jesus’ teaching about where He is going. In the last case (taking both of these passages together), Jesus is addressing the disciples (during the “Last Supper”). Specifically, the usage here indicates that Jesus is referring to his impending death on the cross. In response to the Lord’s first using this passage along with the new commandment to love one another, Peter asks the dreaded question: “Lord, where are you going?” To which the Lord answers, using the third variation of our text: “Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow me afterward.” In reality, there is a double-meaning here, since Jesus’ statement indicates both his appointment with death on the cross, as well as his return to Heaven after the resurrection.
The second part, the additional phrase “but you will follow me afterward” may also carry a double meaning in that Jesus is telling Peter and the other disciples that they will be suffering death for the Kingdom of God also. As John is the only disciple who did not suffer a martyr’s death, we can infer that Jesus may have only been speaking this double meaning to Peter, or possibly some of the other disciples as well.
Is he also speaking to other believers in this third passage? That is the real question for all of us as followers of Jesus here in the “Church age”. I believe the message from both these statements Jesus made to the Pharisees as well as his follow on statement to Peter and the disciples gives us a clear imperative to avoid “Religiosity” or simple outward observance of the law, thinking that will gain us entry into Heaven, and instead to repent (surrender, turn from our sin to Jesus) and believe in him and follow his commands, to love one another most of all, and to do everything possible to serve the Kingdom of God and spread the gospel message to all people!
Confessions of a Jesus Freak 
In various other passages in John’s Gospel, we see Jesus again telling the Disciples He is going to Heaven (to the Father):
John 14:12 – “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.”
John 14:28 – “You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.”
John 16:17 – “So some of his disciples said to one another, “What is this that he says to us, ‘A little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’; and, ‘because I am going to the Father’?””
John 16:28 – “I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father.”
From these, again, we can deduce that “Where Jesus is going that they cannot come” (yet) is to the Father in Heaven. It’s interesting that the Disciples did not understand it (still) in these passages, Jesus is trying to explain it to them, using clear language, at least from our point of view. They did, obviously, understand it after He rose again and ascended into Heaven. The Ascension is recorded in various places:
Mark 16:19-20
Luke 24:36-53
Acts 1:6-12
1 Timothy 3:16
Lastly, and perhaps most importantly of all, as Jesus told Peter “You will come later”, Jesus told his disciples during the “Upper room discourse” the following (John 14:1-3) –
“ Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”
This, of course, is one of the more important (and popular) promises the Lord Jesus made to his disciples, and by extension, to us. He leaves this world not only to die his sacrificial death and pay the price for our sin, but also to gain eternal life for us for when we die (and the privilege of living with him in Heaven forever). Some of us will not die the physical death apparently, since there will be believers alive when he comes back, as his second coming is directly mentioned as well in this passage.
He has earned a place in Heaven for us to be with him, and he’s coming back for us! In light of this whole article I have written (“Where I am you cannot come”), Jesus finally, on his last night with the disciples gave them the full answer as to why they couldn’t come with him (yet), because his work wasn’t finished until after he rose again and ascended to Heaven!
The last comment detailed probably the most important reason why Jesus had to go ahead of us back to Heaven, so he could prepare a place for us (earn us the right to have eternal life with him forever). The second most important reason is also found in chp. 16 of the Gospel of John:
“Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.”
– John 16:7
Just try to imagine where we’d be without the Holy Spirit (the “Helper” in this passage)? We would still be lost, since it is the action of the Holy Spirit opening our hearts and minds to receive the Word of God that saves us. We could not be “Born again” without the Holy Spirit!
In reality, all these pieces fit together and are part of the redemptive plan that was forged so long ago when Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3, “The Fall”).
1. Jesus had to come and die on the cross, a place where the disciples “Could not go” (in his place), as an atoning sacrifice for our sins (the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world). The reason Jesus could die on the cross for the sins of mankind is because he is God, and he lived a perfect sinless life, though he was tempted and suffered in every way possible.
2. Jesus would be raised on the third day, thus returning to the disciples for a “Little while”, and representing the “First fruits” of the redemption, i.e., being in his new body, a “Heavenly” body that could appear and disappear, go through locked doors, and even go back to Heaven.
3. Jesus ascended back to Heaven and is there interceding for us right now with God the Father. He also asked the Father to send the Holy Spirit which came with a loud roar on Pentecost, and thus was established the Church.
4. Jesus earned the right for all believers to be with him, in Heaven, forever.
5. The Holy Spirit is the key agent / person (member of the Trinity) in salvation. It is the work of the Holy Spirit that saves us and starts us on the path of sanctification (making us more like Jesus).
I missed a piece of the John 14 passage. Earlier (in a previous comment) I noted that John 14:1-3 where Jesus was addressing the Disciple’s concerns about going away. He told them he was going to “prepare a place for them.” He also, of course, told them later (several place, …. John 14:26 among those) that he would be sending the Holy Spirit (Counselor, helper, comforter, etc…) to help them. But specifically, in John 14:4-6 Jesus tells them:
“And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
This, perhaps most important piece of this entire thread, tells them specifically that not only is he going to Heaven, and is preparing a place for them (and all believers), but that they know the way – it is quite literally through Jesus! He is the way to Heaven! Needless to say, Jesus is the only way to Heaven, and this is not just a key piece of this discussion then, it is possibly the most controversial passage in the entire Bible since Jesus is claiming exclusivity, giving himself the exclusive right to determine who does and who does not get into Heaven.