After this, Jesus moved about within Galilee; but he did not wish to travel in Judea, because the Jews were trying to kill him. 2 But the Jewish feast of Tabernacles was near. 3 So his brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, so that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. 4 No one works in secret if he wants to be known publicly. If you do these things, manifest yourself to the world.” 5 For his brothers did not believe in him. 6 So Jesus said to them, “My time is not yet here, but the time is always right for you. 7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me, because I testify to it that its works are evil. 8 You go up to the feast. I am not going up to this feast, because my time has not yet been fulfilled.” 9 After he had said this, he stayed on in Galilee. 10 But when his brothers had gone up to the feast, he himself also went up, not openly but [as it were] in secret. 11 The Jews were looking for him at the feast and saying, “Where is he?” 12 And there was considerable murmuring about him in the crowds. Some said, “He is a good man,” [while] others said, “No; on the contrary, he misleads the crowd.” 13 Still, no one spoke openly about him because they were afraid of the Jews.
The Israelites were obligated to make a pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem three times a year to observe the following feasts: Passover (Pesach), Weeks or Pentecost (Shavuot), and Tabernacles (Sukkot), also called Booths (Ex. 23:14-17; Lv. 23:42-43). The feast of Passover commemorated the Israelites being freed from slavery in Egypt, the Feast of Weeks occurred fifty days after Passover and commemorated the giving of the Law (the Torah) to Moses on Mount Sinai, and the Feast of Tabernacles which celebrated the Israelites' wanderings in the wilderness and living in temporary shelters on the way from Egypt to the Promised Land.
Jesus’ brothers (cousins) urged him to leave Galilee in the North and go down to Jerusalem for the feast of Tabernacles which was a joyous feast that lasted seven days (Lev. 23:34). Jesus’ relatives did not believe in him and had previously tried to restrain him (Mk. 3:21). After doing many works in Galilee at the beginning of his ministry (Mt. 4:23-25), his brethren now demanded that he appear in public in Judea so that his works could be made manifest to the whole world and not just in Galilee to those who believed. Jesus knew that the Jewish authorities were trying to kill him in Judea (Jn. 5:18) so he told his family that he was not going because his time had not yet come to go to Jerusalem. The world hates him because he testifies that the works of the world are evil, but the world does not hate them so they can go to Jerusalem anytime.
After his relatives had gone to the feast, Jesus remained in Galilee for a few days and then went to Jerusalem in secret. The crowd included pilgrims in Jerusalem for the feast who were unaware of the plot to kill Jesus. Opinions were divided about him. Those who were aware of the plot and thought he was a good man were afraid to say so in public out of fear of the Jewish authorities. Others thought he was an imposter.
Almighty God, grant us the grace to walk in your light and the faith to withstand the darkness of evil. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
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