John 4:3

He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee.

He left Judea - that opposition to Him might not be too soon organized, which at that early stage would have marred His work.

And departed again into Galilee - by which time John had been cast into prison. Here, then, our Evangelist takes up the thread of the three first Gospels: ; ; . The period during which our Lord continued in Judea, from the time of His first Passover, appears to have been at least eight months-it being, as we shall see from , now "four months to harvest," which, as usually reckoned, would be late in the month of December; but as this makes the harvest, it would seem, too early, perhaps our Lord did not leave until late in January.