John Chrysostom

Christ, after discoursing on some high truth, commonly retires immediately, to give time to the fury of people to abate, during His absence. Thus He did now: He went away again beyond Jordan, into the place where John at first baptized. He went there that He might recall to people's minds, what had gone on there; John's preaching and testimony to Himself.

Catena Aurea by Aquinas ↗

Theophylact of Ohrid

They seek to seize the Lord, unable to bear His lofty testimony about Himself, for they could not endure His sublime theology. But He withdraws, yielding to their anger and arranging it so that through His withdrawal the passion of their anger might subside. He withdraws against their will, in order to show (as we have said many times) that He would not have been taken to the cross either, had He not delivered Himself up voluntarily.

Commentary on John ↗

Augustine of Hippo

To lay hold of Him, not by faith and the understanding, but with bloodthirsty violence. Do thou so lay hold of Him, that thou mayest have sure hold; they would fain have laid hold on Him, but they could not: for it follows, But He escaped out of their hand. They did lay hold of Him with the hand of faith. It was no great matter for the Word to rescue His flesh from the hands of flesh.

Catena Aurea by Aquinas ↗

Bede

The Jews still persist in their madness; Therefore they sought again to take Him.

Catena Aurea by Aquinas ↗

Thomas Aquinas

Now our Lord turns away from the obstinacy of the Jews. First, the Evangelist shows they were obstinate; secondly, we see that Christ turns away from this; thirdly, we see what effect this had. The Evangelist shows their inflexibility by the fact that after so many confirmations of the truth, after the evidence of so many miracles and wonders, they still persist in their evil. …

Commentary on John ↗