March 24, Passion B (Mark 14:1–15:47)

In ancient Greek theories of vision, sight was about physical touch as much as visual perception. Extramission theories imagined the eye sending out beams of light or streams of fire to make contact with the world. Intromission theories suggested that every object emitted tiny replicas of itself, or constantly shed minute particles like a snake sheds its skin, and that these replicas or particles entered into the eye. Whether one imagined eye fire reaching out like tentacles or pictured particles or replicas of a lion or a loaf of bread or a child entering into one’s eyes, according to these theories, eyesight was a phenomenon of touch, of physical connection.

With these theories of vision in mind, one can understand the urge to look away from pain. If vision physically connects the viewer to what is viewed, perhaps seeing some things risks harm.

When Jesus enters Jerusalem during the Passover festival, he creates a spectacle that means to be seen—the humble king riding on a donkey. Soon after, some people have seen enough. They look away from Jesus, seeking other sights. The chief priests and the scribes begin looking for a way to arrest Jesus, and later, once he has been arrested, they look for testimony against him. Judas looks for an opportunity to betray him. And the other disciples fall asleep, unable to keep their eyes open to Jesus’ suffering in Gethsemane.