"The Lord hath need of him." How singular the conjunction! Need of a colt ! In what sense was such a creature necessary for the Lord of all? In what sense is anything created necessary to the Creator? As showing forth his glory, and fulfilling his purposes. I. THE LOWLIEST THINGS HAVE SOME HIGH PURPOSE , OR CAPACITY OF GLORIFYING GOD . II. IN SOME CIRCUMSTANCES THE LOWLIEST THINGS MAY EXCLUSIVELY OR MORE FITTINGLY EXPRESS A ... read more
See this passage illustrated in the notes at Matthew 21:1-16.Mark 11:4Two ways met - A crossroads. A public place, probably near the center of the village.Mark 11:5What do ye, loosing the colt? - Or, why do ye do this? What authority have you for doing it?See this passage illustrated in the notes at Matthew 21:1-16. read more
Mark 11:1-3. And when they came nigh to Jerusalem See on Matthew 21:1-3; unto Bethphage and Bethany The limits of Bethany reached to the mount of Olives: and joined to those of Bethphage, which was part of the suburbs of Jerusalem, and reached from the mount of Olives to the walls of the city. Our Lord was now come to the place where the boundaries of Bethphage and Bethany met. Ye shall find a colt tied In Matthew we read, an ass tied, and a colt with her, but Mark and Luke only... read more
FINAL TEACHING IN JERUSALEM119. The triumphal entry (Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:28-44; John 12:12-19)The time had now come for Jesus to challenge his opponents openly by a clear public demonstration that he was Israel’s Messiah. The Jewish leaders wanted to arrest him, but when told of his whereabouts they feared to take action. They were unsure of the extent of Jesus’ popular support (cf. John 11:57; John 12:9-11).To make sure that nothing stopped him from making a bold public... read more
if any man = if any one. The contingency being probable. See App-118 . The same word as in verses: Mark 11:31 , Mark 11:32 ; not the same as in verses: Mark 11:13 , Mark 11:25 , Mark 11:26 . the Lord. App-98 . straightway. See note on Mark 1:12 . read more
And if any one say unto you, Why do ye this? say ye, The Lord hath need of him; and straightway he will send him back hither.The Lord hath need of him ... Jesus here referred to himself as "Lord," a term that cannot, in context, be separated from a claim of divinity on Jesus' part.And straightway he will send him back hither ... The Greek word here rendered "hither" is actually "here";[2] it is thus a reference to the place where Jesus was standing when he gave this order. The word "back" is... read more
The village opposite was evidently Bethphage, the one the disciples would have encountered after leaving Bethany for Jerusalem. The colt was a young donkey. The Mosaic Law specified that an animal devoted to a sacred purpose had to be one that had not been used for ordinary purposes (Numbers 19:2; Deuteronomy 21:3). Jesus told the disciples to bring both the colt and its mother to Him (Matthew 21:2). The "Lord" is simply a respectful title here referring to Jesus whom the owner evidently had... read more
1. The Triumphal Entry 11:1-11 (cf. Matthew 21:1-17; Luke 19:29-44; John 12:12-19)This is only the second incident that all four evangelists recorded, the other being the feeding of the 5,000 (cf. Mark 6:30-44). This fact reflects its importance. Mark’s account of this event gives much detail, indicating its eyewitness source. It does not stress Jesus’ messiahship greatly. Mark presented Jesus as a humble servant of God and the people. read more
A. Jesus’ formal presentation to Israel 11:1-26Mark chose to record four events: the Triumphal Entry (Mark 11:1-11), the cursing of the fig tree (Mark 11:12-14), the cleansing of the temple (Mark 11:15-19), and the lesson of the cursed fig tree (Mark 11:20-25). These events happened on three successive days (Monday through Wednesday) as the writer noted. read more
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The Pulpit Commentary - Mark 11:3
And if any one say unto you, Why do ye this? say ye, The Lord hath need of him; and straightway he will send him back hither . The Greek, according to the best authorities here, is εὐθέως αὐτὸν ἀποστελλει πάλιν ὧδε : literally, straightway he sendeth it back hither again , The verb here in the present may represent the verb in the future, "he will send it back." But the word "again" ( πάλιν ) is not quite so easily explained. There is strong authority for the insertion of... read more