Church Fathers Commentary John 7:9-13

"And having said these things unto them, he abode [still] in Galilee. But when his brethren were gone up unto the feast, then went he also up, not publicly, but as it were in secret. The Jews therefore sought him at the feast, and said, Where is he? And there was much murmuring among the multitudes concerning him: some said, He is a good man; others said, Not so, but he leadeth the multitude astray. Yet no man spake openly of him for fear of the Jews." — John 7:9-13 (ASV)

Theophylact of Ohrid: Our Lord at first declares that He will not go up to the feast—I go not up with you—to avoid exposing Himself to the rage of the Jews. Therefore, we read that When He had said these words to them, He remained in Galilee. Afterward, however, He does go up: But when His brethren were gone up, then went He also up to the feast.

St. Augustine of Hippo: He went up, however, not to gain temporary glory, but to teach wholesome doctrine and remind people of the eternal feast.

St. John Chrysostom: He goes up not to suffer, but to teach. He goes up secretly because, although He could have gone openly and kept the violence and impetuosity of the Jews in check, as He had often done before, doing so every time would have revealed His divinity. Instead, He wished to establish the fact of His incarnation and to teach us the way of life.

He also went up privately to show us what we ought to do when we cannot check our persecutors. It is not said, however, in secret, but as it were in secret, to show that this was done as a kind of divine economy. For if He had done all things as God, how would we, in this world, know what to do when we fall into danger?

Alcuin of York: Alternatively, He went up in secret because He did not seek the favor of people, and He took no pleasure in pomp or in being followed by crowds.

The Venerable Bede: The mystical meaning is this: to all those carnal people who seek human glory, the Lord remains in Galilee. The name “Galilee” means “passing over,” which applies to the members of His body who pass from vice to virtue and continue to progress in it. Our Lord Himself delayed going up, signifying that Christ’s members do not seek temporal but eternal glory. And He went up secretly because all true glory is from within: that is, from a pure heart, a good conscience, and sincere faith.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Alternatively, the meaning is that all the ceremonies of the ancient people, such as the Feast of Tabernacles, were a figure of what was to come. This figure is now unveiled to us. Our Lord went up in secret to represent this figurative system. He concealed Himself at the feast because the feast itself signified that the members of Christ were in a strange country. For anyone who regards himself as a stranger in the world is one who dwells in tents. The word scenopegia used here means the Feast of Tabernacles.

St. John Chrysostom: Then the Jews sought Him at the feast and said, Where is He?—asking out of hatred and enmity, for they would not call Him by His name. There was little reverence or true religion in their observance of the feast, since they wanted to use it as an opportunity to seize Christ.

St. Augustine of Hippo: And there was much murmuring among the people concerning Him, a murmuring that arose from disagreement. For some said, He is a good man, while others said, Nay; but He seduces the people.

Those who had any spark of grace said, He is a good man; the rest said, Nay, but He seduces the people. That such things were said of Him—who was God—is a consolation for any Christian of whom the same may be said.

If to seduce means to deceive, then Christ was not a seducer, nor can any Christian be. But if seducing means persuading a person to change from one way of thinking to another, then we must ask: from what, and to what? If from good to evil, the seducer is an evil man; if from evil to good, a good one. Would that we were all called, and truly were, such seducers!

St. John Chrysostom: The former opinion, I think, belonged to the multitude—namely, those who pronounced Him a good man. The latter belonged to the priests and rulers, as is shown by their saying, He deceives the people, and not, “He deceives us.”

St. Augustine of Hippo: However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews—that is, none of those who said, He is a good man. Those who said, He deceives the people, proclaimed their opinion openly enough, while the former only dared to whisper theirs.

St. John Chrysostom: Observe that the corruption is in the rulers. The common people are sound in their judgment but lack the freedom of speech, as is often the case with them.