How can we reconcile the idea that Jesus is the light with the fact that he hid from the crowd?

Question

When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. Matthew 14:13-14 NIV

While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them. John 12:36 KJV

and

Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Matthew 5.15

The first passage from Matthew 14:13-14 describes how Jesus withdrew to a solitary place by boat when he heard about John the Baptist's death. However, when he arrived, a large crowd had already gathered, and he had compassion on them, healing their sick.

In the second passage from John 12:36, Jesus speaks about the importance of believing in the light while it is still present, but then departs and hides himself from the people.

The third passage from Matthew 5:15 emphasizes the importance of shining one's light for others to see, rather than hiding it away.

While Jesus is often referred to as the "light of the world," there is no record in the Bible of him ever hiding from a crowd because he was afraid or ashamed. In fact, throughout his ministry, Jesus often attracted large crowds of people who wanted to hear his teachings and witness his miracles.

There are a few instances in the Bible where Jesus did withdraw from the crowds. What would really be the reasons for these departures?

Answer 1

Never mind IF Jesus is light, just as the father who pleaded for Jesus to heal his son said "IF you can..." the fact of the matter is that Jesus IS light. Speaking of the Logos, the incarnate Word of God, who dwelt with us, John declares this awesome truth:

Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it." (John 1:1-5; 14).

Jesus departed from the crowd after telling Philip and Andrew that he would have to die. He was troubled (verse 27) because he knew what he would have to suffer in order to do the will of his father in heaven.

The Son of Man, the Son of God, through whom all things exist, departed from the unbelievers. "Hands that flung stars into space, to cruel nails surrendered." (line from 'The Servant King' by Graham Kendrick)

The light and the life of the world was right there, in front of them, but they were blind. They could not see because they were spiritually blind.

IF Jesus is light?

Answer 2

If it was his Father's will that he should die at the time of Passover, it would have been against God's will for him to allow himself to be killed prematurely. Previously, in ch7, he had entered Judaea almost furtively because "The Jews sought to kill him" (ch7 v1). There had a similar "self-hiding" in ch8 v59 and ch10 v39, where the threat had been more explicit, and at Nazareth in Luke ch4 v30.

He needs to be saving himself for the moment, in order to continue "showing the light" for the rest of his ministry.

Answer 3

Though John didn't explain, nor did the synoptic gospels have parallel hint given, but reading some verses before and after, we may come to this observation, that Jesus left the crowd was because of His sadness. We have the same emotion, while we see a danger and we try to fulfill a responsibility to warn people staying away from it, the people laugh at us as if we were liar. You find yourselves helpless to save people. Let's look at these verses; John 12

32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”

33 He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.

34 The crowd spoke up, “We have heard from the Law that the Messiah will remain forever, so how can you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this ‘Son of Man’?” (NIV)

So the crowd had taken a view that Jesus is not the Messiah, when Jesus said he will be 'lifted up' (crucifixion), mean death. There should have something touching John deeply to have watched Jesus left the crowd. He did not understanding at that time, and later he found enlightenment when he read the Book of Isaiah; as he continued in John 12

38 This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet: “Lord, who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”(Isaiah 53:1; Romans 10:16)

39 For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere:

40 “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn—and I would heal them. (NIV)

Isaiah 53:3 described Jesus' sufferings

He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. (NIV)

So Isaiah 53:3 explained why Jesus left the crowd. He was suffering in pain due to the despisal and rejection by the people.

Answer 4

This chapter of John is rich with interwoven imagery and themes drawn from the old testament.

Two themes that come to mind when I read this section are the covenant God made with Abraham, and Moses appearing before Pharaoh.

In Genesis chapter 15, God and Abram make a covenant. In verses 10-11 Abram supplies and arranges the sacrifices

¹⁰ Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half. ¹ Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.

Then when it came time for both parties to pledge their death if they break the treaty, by walking through between the sacrifices, something unexpected happens in verse 12 and 17

¹² As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. . . . ¹⁷ When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces.

So what happened was that at the moment of sacrifice, God hid himself from Abram, offering to pay the price of death if Abraham broke the covenant.

It's also interesting to note that god appeared as light (the blazing torch) as well as darkness (the smoke).

Jesus hiding himself is also reminiscent of Moses appearing before Pharaoh. Nine times Moses appeared before Pharaoh and then withdrew. This was done to demonstrate God's power to rescue.

Exodus 7:1-5

¹ Then the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet. ² You are to say everything I command you, and your brother Aaron is to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his country. ³ But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in Egypt, ⁴ he will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and with mighty acts of judgment I will bring out my divisions, my people the Israelites. ⁵ And the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites out of it.”

So, here we have the representative of God, presenting himself publicly, in order to save those who will listen, but bring judgment on those who refuse to listen.

Note that the last two plagues are darkness, and the final one is the death of the firstborn. If a lamb was sacrificed then the destroying angel would Passover the household, and save the firstborn son.

In John 12, Jesus quotes Isaiah 53:1 and Isaiah 6:10 alluding to Moses:

³⁸ This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet: “Lord, who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” ³⁹ For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere: ⁴⁰ “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hears, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn—and I would heal them.”

So, by saying Jesus hid himself from them, John is portraying Jesus as the Moses figure who judges the hard-hearted, rescues the oppressed, and the God who offers himself as the sacrifice.