John 5:13 with St. Thomas Aquinas
“Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place.”
In John 5, Jesus heals a man who is unable to walk and then quickly slips away, disappearing into the crowd of people in Jerusalem. Why does Jesus so quickly vanish from the scene? In his commentary on the Gospel of John, Thomas Aquinas offers two sets of reasons for Jesus’ actions. He begins by offering an explanation based on the literal meaning of Scripture. He says that Jesus faded into the crowds “to give us the example of concealing our good deeds and of not using them to seek praise. Here he quotes from the Sermon on the Mount: “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 6:1).
St. Thomas also explains that Jesus knows that by our deeds we can stir up the envy of others. There were those present who were already opposed to Christ. Jesus knew this and withdrew in order not to flame the fire of their hatred for him. Aquinas writes, “in all our actions, we should leave and avoid those who are envious, so as not to feed and increase their envy.” He here cites the teaching of the book of Sirach: “Do not be provoked by one who speaks evil of you, so he will not trap you by your own words” (Sir. 8:14).
Going on, however, St. Thomas also draws out what he describes a “mystical reason” Jesus slipped away quickly after his miracle. He writes, “First, it teaches us that Christ is not easy to find in the midst of men, or in the whirlwind of temporal cares; rather, he is found in spiritual seclusion.” St. Thomas cites the book of Eccelsiastes to make his point: “The words of the wise heard in quiet are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools” (Eccl. 9:17).
To properly hear Christ—the one who is Wisdom Incarnate—it is necessary for us to spend time with him in quiet prayer. Withdrawing from the erratic pace of modern life to pray is not simply advisable, it is necessary in order for us to fully encounter Jesus. Like the man healed in John 5, Christ invites us to follow him away from the crowds and the noise of the world to find him in the solitude of silent meditation. [1]
