7:10 Jesus proceeded to Jerusalem shortly after his half-brothers did because the Father led Him to go then. He did not herald His arrival with great publicity, as His brothers had recommended, but went without fanfare. If He had gone sooner, the authorities would have had more opportunities to arrest Him (v. 1).
7:11 Since John usually used the phrase "the Jews"to describe the Jewish authorities who were hostile to Jesus (cf. 1:19; 7:13; et al.), that is probably who was trying to find Him here. Their intentions seem pernicious.
7:12-13 Jesus was a controversial subject of conversation at the feast. He provoked considerable "grumbling"(Gr. goggusmos, cf. 6:41, 61). Many of the common people from Judea and pilgrims from elsewhere debated His ministry in private, however, suspecting that their leaders opposed Him. According to the Talmud, deceiving the people was a crime punishable by stoning.270"The Jews"here clearly refers to Israel's leaders.
This pericope provides background for Jesus' ministry in Jerusalem that follows. It helps the reader sense the atmosphere of public opinion in which Jesus then worked.
