11:54
Jesus did not seek out trouble or confrontation, but equally He was quite willing to face it when it was appropriate to do so. We see that Jesus would happily heal people on the Sabbath, knowing that the Pharisees would have a fit. Later we will see that Jesus went resolutely to the cross, facing His various accusers. There is a time to confront, and a time to withdraw (Ecc 3:1-8). Having an unthinking approach of always doing one or the other is not Biblical. So here we read that Jesus went to the region near the wilderness.
11:55
The climax of His ministry is approaching, but there is an awful lot of teaching still to come before we get to the cross itself. Passover was near, and many were going up to Jerusalem. They went early in order to purify themselves, to make sure they were fit for the Passover itself, which lasted several days.
11:56,57
People, or at least the Jews, were looking out for Jesus, expecting to see Him. They would have been expecting the usual stuff, i.e. is teaching and healing. They would also have been wondering if the religious leaders would take any real action against Him. They were also wondering if He would actually lie low, knowing the attitude of the religious leaders towards Him. The religious leaders had given orders that anyone who sighted Jesus had to let them know.
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