John 8:22

Jesus’ hearers wondered if He was speaking about taking His own life. In John 7:34-35 they wondered if He was talking about going on a mission to the Gentile world. In both cases they did not grasp that Jesus was speaking of spiritual rather than physical spheres of reality. However these people again spoke better than they realized. Jesus’ departure would involve His death, not as a suicide but as a sacrifice for sin. Consequently their words here are an ironic prophecy of Jesus’ death (cf. John 11:49-50). [Note: Hoskyns, p. 334.]