Commentaries:
Could Jesus have been playing it safe? Yes! Verse 14 sets us up for that. The opposition of some of the Pharisees drove Jesus into semi-retirement for a little while. He was not seeking notoriety, and He was not about to provoke the Pharisees into a fight, so in this case, discretion was the better part of valor. The best thing to do was to leave the area and not challenge them.
John W. Ritenbaugh
A Place of Safety? (Part 2)