Mark 11:3

3 And if any man say unto you, `Why do ye this?' say ye that the Lord hath need of him, and straightway he will send him hither."

Mark 11:3 Meaning and Commentary

Mark 11:3

And if any man say unto you
As very likely they would, and it would be strange if they should not say something to them, especially the owners of it:

why do ye this?
Why do ye untie the ass, and attempt to carry it away, when it is none of your own, and it belongs to another man?

Say ye that the Lord hath need of him;
our Lord and yours, the Lord of heaven and earth, and all things in it; it looks as if this title, "the Lord", was what Jesus was well known by; see ( John 11:28 ) ; unless it can be thought, that the owners of the colt were such, that believed in Christ, as is not improbable; and so would at once understand by the language who it was for, and let it go:

and straightway he will send him, hither;
as soon as ever he hears that the Lord, by whom he would presently understand Jesus, wanted him for his present purpose; he will send him with all readiness and cheerfulness, without the least hesitation, or making any dispute about it.

Mark 11:3 In-Context

1 And when they came nigh to Jerusalem, unto Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, He sent forth two of His disciples

2 and said unto them, "Go your way into the village opposite you, and as soon as ye have entered into it, ye shall find a colt tied, whereon man never sat. Loose him and bring him.

3 And if any man say unto you, `Why do ye this?' say ye that the Lord hath need of him, and straightway he will send him hither."

4 And they went their way and found the colt tied outside by the door at a place where two ways met, and they loosed him.

5 And certain of those who stood there said unto them, "What do ye, loosing the colt?"