Jesus after the Palm Sunday parade

I re-read today the account of the Palm Sunday entry into Jerusalem in Mark's gospel. And I was struck by a verse that I had not noticed before.


At the end of my reading it says " And when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve." (Mark 11:11 English Standard Version)


Jesus had been the centre of attention during the entry into the Temple and city riding on the colt but when he arrives  at his destination all he does is look around. 


Was Jesus just looking at what was happening? Was he examining how people had been influenced by his symbolic act? Was he trying to work out how excited people had got and what to do with all the emotion that had been shown.? Was he wondering what was going to happen next? Was he looking at all the false hopes that he would not be able to fulfil? Perhaps he was even thinking how do I follow that? Or was he looking round in a sombre realisation that he was not on a journey from which there could be no turning back?


Was this short verse the moment of realisation that he had now irrevocably committed himself to the path that would lead to the events of Holy week and the Passion? Did this act of looking around finally convince him that this was the way that he had to go.

I like the phrase "he looked round at everything". It implies an active interest in the world and what is going on. But looking at the world through the eyes of Christ must be an awesome and terrifying experience. For we recall that in holy week the words of the shortest verse in the New Testament -  "Jesus wept". This verse describes his reaction to looking over Jerusalem and seeing a city that was rejecting the way of God. Where ever we look in the world we will see suffering, people doing things that are not right and innocent ones being exploited. 

If we look with the eyes of Christ we may weep. But like Jesus in the temple, looking around and seeing what is really happening can also strengthen our resolve to do something about the problems that we see. Instead of weeping we can ask for strength to make a stand and face up to what we see that is wrong. Though if we do make a stand like Jesus we should also remember that the road we are taking may lead to us being "crucified"  as he was.