Chapter VII.
Third, the Son of God manifests himself as lover and illuminator in three ways.
1. After these things Jesus walked, etc. The Lord showed above that he is healer and preserver: here begins the third part, in which he manifests and shows himself as director and illuminator; and this part extends up to the eleventh chapter. The Lord shows himself as light and director in three ways: first, by the word of teaching; second, by the miracle of power, at the beginning of the ninth, there: And Jesus passing by saw a man blind from birth: third, by the example of a good life, below at the beginning of the tenth: Amen, amen I say to you, he who does not enter through the door.
First he shows himself as light and lover by the word of teaching.
The first part, therefore, in which he manifests himself as director by the word of teaching, contains two chapters, namely the seventh and eighth, and is divided into two, because first is treated the Teacher's manifestation: second, the communication of doctrine, there: Did not Moses give you the Law, etc.
The first part treats of the Teacher's disclosure in two ways.
The Teacher's disclosure or manifestation was necessary for this, that he might teach. And because his concealment had preceded, therefore first is treated the Teacher's concealment: second, the manifestation of the hidden one, there: Now about the middle of the feast, etc.
The concealment of the supreme Teacher, therefore, is described in this order. For since it came about through the persecution of the Jews, first is indicated the perfidy of the Jews in persecuting: second, the vanity of his kinsmen in urging honor: third, the humility of Christ in hiding: fourth, the curiosity of the Jews in seeking Christ.
2. (Verse 1.). First, therefore, is indicated the perfidy of the Jews in killing Christ, on account of which the Lord stayed in Galilee and had left Judea, avoiding the fury of the persecutors. Therefore he says: After these things, namely those which were said about the miracle of the loaves and the teaching of Christ, Jesus walked in Galilee: because there they were not such zealots for the Law, and consequently not persecutors. For he did not want to walk in Judea: and the reason is given: because the Jews sought to kill him, stirred up by the devil, in whose figure, in Exodus 2, "Pharaoh sought to kill Moses, who fleeing from his sight," etc. By avoiding them, he taught to flee the fury of persecutors, according to that word of Matthew 10: "When they shall persecute you in one city, flee to another."
3. (Vers. 2.). Now it was near. Here the second point is noted, namely the vanity of his kinsmen in persuading him toward earthly and vain honor; and they take their reason for persuading from the opportunity of the time, the edification of the neighbor, and the exaltation of his name. — The opportune time was at hand; whence he says: Now the feast day of the Jews, the Feast of Tabernacles, was near. This was the feast of tabernacles, which was to be celebrated in September, according to that passage in Leviticus twenty-three: "In the seventh month you shall celebrate feasts and dwell in tabernacles," etc. From this opportunity the persuasion is made to him; whence he says:
4. (Vers. 3.). His brothers therefore said to him: Depart from here and go into Judea. These brothers were kinsmen or blood relatives of the Lord in the second degree; and according to Chrysostom they were James and Jude, who were brothers of the Lord; but it is better to say that they were other kinsmen, on account of the text that follows. For it is to be believed that those two Apostles believed in him.
Note that one is a brother by nature, and thus we are all brothers of Christ: Psalm: "I will declare your name to my brothers." By affection, thus the good: Matthew twelve: "Who are my brothers? Everyone who does the will," etc. By kinship, thus blood relatives, as James: Galatians one: "James, the brother of the Lord."
And they add another reason for persuasion, namely the edification of the neighbor; on account of which they say: That your disciples also may see your works which you do; those disciples, I say, who had departed in scandal, so that seeing the great things he was doing in Galilee, they might return again. Of these it was said above in chapter six: "Many of his disciples went back."
And they add a third reason, namely the manifestation of his name.
5. (Vers. 4.). For no one does anything in secret and himself seeks to be known openly, through that work, namely; such men had not yet departed from the mindset of hypocrites, of whom it is said in Matthew twenty-three: "They do all their works to be seen by men." Therefore they said: If you do these things, manifest yourself to the world, that is, if the miracles you perform are true as from God, manifest yourself. They say this doubting, and the Evangelist gives the reason:
6. (Vers. 5.). For neither did his brothers believe in him: above in chapter four: "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country"; above in chapter one: "He came unto his own, and his own received him not," and this on account of familiarity; for this reason, because he was familiar to his brothers, they did not believe in him.
7. (Vers. 6.). Jesus therefore said to them. Here the third point is touched upon, namely Christ's humility in hiding; on account of which he excuses himself before them, first from the lack of an opportune time: for it was not the opportune time for him for manifestation. On account of which he says: My time has not yet come, namely, of my manifestation; and I consider the fittingness of the time: whence in the Psalm: "When I shall receive the time, I will judge justices"; Ecclesiastes 3: "God made all things good in their time." But your time is always ready, that is, for the glory of the world, which you desire: concerning which time, Jeremiah 17: "I have not desired the day of man"; Sirach 11: "In the day of your honor, do not exalt yourself."
Thus therefore the opportuneness of time belongs not to me, but to you; not to me either, but to you belongs the exaltation of temporal glory: whence:
8. (Vers. 7.). The world cannot hate you, by reviling, because you love it and its glory; but it hates me, by dishonoring; Galatians, last chapter: "The world is crucified to me, and I to the world." Because I bear witness concerning it, that its works are evil, by proclaiming the truth; Wisdom 2: "Let us therefore beset the just man, because he is useless to us and contrary to our works and reproaches us with sins against the Law and defames against us the sins of our training"; Amos 5: "They hated him who corrects at the gate." Therefore a certain one said: "Truth begets hatred." Because therefore the world does not hate you:
9. (Vers. 8.). Go you up to this feast day: but because it hates me and persecutes me, I will not go up to this feast day, because my time is not yet fulfilled; in which I must suffer, concerning which above in chapter 2: "Woman, my hour has not yet come." Just as in the incarnation he observed the fullness of time, so also in the passion: Galatians 4: "But when the fullness of time came, God sent his Son," etc. And thus he excused himself to them, so that he might go up secretly; whence also after them he went up alone, not surrounded by a multitude of relatives.
10. (Vers. 9.). When he had said these things, that is, had excused himself before his brethren, he remained in Galilee, namely, until his brethren had gone up.
11. (Vers. 10.). But when his brethren had gone up, then he also went up to the feast day, not openly, but as it were in secret; therefore in secret, so that he might show human weakness, and thus invite to faith. Or: in secret, so that he might teach to avoid vain praise: Matthew 6: "Your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you"; Gregory: "Let the work be in the open, so that the intention may remain in secret."
12. (Vers. 11.). The Jews therefore sought him. The fourth point is touched upon, namely the curiosity of the Jews in seeking Christ, since he had gone up secretly; because previously he used to go up openly; therefore he says: The Jews therefore sought him on the feast day, because he was accustomed to go up at that time, and they sought him out of hatred; whence he adds: And they said: Where is that man? They did not call him by his proper name, out of hatred or contempt; against which Wisdom chapter one: "Think of the Lord in goodness, and in simplicity of heart seek him." And from this silent inquiry there arose conversation about the absent one; whence he says:
13. (Vers. 12.). And there was much murmuring among the crowd concerning him, and it arose from controversy; whence he adds: For some said: He is good, namely the simple folk; but others said: No, but he deceives the crowds, and these were the chief Pharisees, who called him a deceiver: Matthew chapter twenty-seven: "We remember that that deceiver said," etc.; below in the same chapter: "Have you also been deceived?" And although there was controversy, it was in murmuring, not open; whence he says:
14. (Vers. 13.). Yet no one spoke openly about him for fear of the Jews. For as is said below in chapter nine: "The Jews had conspired that if anyone confessed him to be the Christ, he would be put out of the Synagogue." Therefore they feared; against which Matthew chapter ten: "Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; but rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell."