7:11-13
The Jews are the religious leaders, and they were looking out for Jesus. Obviously they expected Him to appear at the festival. They were frustrated by the fact that they could not find Him. So Jesus’ going up in private was obviously effective.
Having had the attitude of the religious leaders, in v12 we get the attitude of the “people”. Being the festival, this would include Judeans, Galileans and diaspora Jews. Jesus was a common topic of conversation, His miracles having aroused much interest among people. Not everyone, in fact the majority, would not have seen Jesus, so there was much debate about who and what He actually was. Some claimed He was a good man, while others saw Him as a trouble maker. “Leading people astray” could be a reference to Him leading people against the teachings of the religious leaders, or possibly to potentially causing trouble with the Roman occupiers. While ESV has “leads the people astray”, NIV has “deceives the people”.
However, all the talk among the people was kept to themselves, they would not say anything in public. The religious leaders had significant power over the day to day lives of people and could effectively brand a person as an outcast if they wished, so people kept quiet. Maybe one could draw a parallel with the situation today where many are reluctant to speak out on transgender issues for fear of the consequences.
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