Is it possible that He was playing it safe? Yes it is! Verse 14 sets you up for that. He withdrew from the area. It was not notoriety that He was after. The opposition of some of the Pharisees drove Jesus into semi-retirement for a little while. He was not about to deliberately provoke the Pharisees into a fight and so discretion was the better part of valor. The best thing to do was to get out of the area, and not challenge these people.
