But when his brethren were gone up, then went he also up unto the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret — after his brothers leave, Jesus goes up to the feast 'not openly' (phaneros, not manifestly/visibly), suggesting he arrives quietly without announcement. The word translated 'as it were in secret' (hōs en kryptō) indicates stealth or hiddenness. This is the paradox of John's narrative: Jesus, about to make the most public and stunning claims, enters Jerusalem in secrecy. His coming revelation will be neither the public triumph the brothers imagined nor the hidden powerlessness the fearful might expect, but something far more radical.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

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