It contains the stories of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, his cursing of the fig tree, his conflict with the Temple money changers, and his argument with the chief priests and elders about his authority.

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter are: Verses 1-11 reflect the events commemorated by Christians on Palm Sunday.

[2] Tuckett argues that Mark has "very likely" compressed a series of events into a single week whereas it is more plausible to assume they took place over a longer period of time.

Jesus instructs two unnamed disciples to go ahead to the town and collect a colt, by which he almost assuredly means a young donkey, which he says will be tied up and has never been ridden, for him to ride.

They bring the colt back to Jesus and put their cloaks on it and Jesus rides it into Jerusalem and people lay their cloaks and tree branches before him, singing him praise as the Son of David and a line from Psalm 118:25-26: The Textus Receptus repeats the words ἑν ὀνόματι Κυρίου (en onomati kuriou, "in the name of the Lord") in verse 10 as well as verse 9: The ancient Codex Alexandrinus supports the duplication, but other early manuscripts, the Vulgate and the writings of Origen omit these words from verse 10.

The word ὡσαννά, (Hosanna, "save us please") is derived from Aramaic (הושע נא) (see Aramaic of Jesus#Hosana) from Hebrew (הושיעה נא) (Psalm 118:25, הוֹשִׁיעָה נָּא), meaning "help" or "save, I pray", "an appeal that became a liturgical formula; as part of the Hallel ... familiar to everyone in Israel.

He expels the dove salesmen and money changers but does not quote from the Old Testament, instead saying "How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!".

[citation needed] Bertrand Russell, the agnostic philosopher, even listed this story as one of his reasons for not being a Christian.

[citation needed] The fig tree is again mentioned in Mark 13:28 by Jesus as part of his eschatological discourse, when its leaves will be full and it will be bearing fruit in the summer, as opposed to the current spring.

[citation needed] This is the first time in Mark that the chief priests, members of the Sanhedrin, are presented among Jesus' opponents.

[22] Jesus has several arguments with the Jewish authorities beginning here and lasting through chapter 12, in which they try to trip him up but continually fail.

The editors of the New American Bible Revised Edition note that by Mark 12:18, the "mounting hostility" of all these parties has been marshalled against Jesus.

[23] Matthew records these stories in chapter 21, with the differences that Jesus fights with the money changers the day He gets to Jerusalem and He heals several blind and lame people afterwards.

He also states the Pharisees tried to silence His followers praise of Him during his entry into Jerusalem and, like Matthew, Luke says Jesus expelled the money changers on the day He arrived there.

John 12 has Jesus arrive in Bethany and have dinner with Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha after raising Him from the dead.

The next day he finds the colt, John making no mention of the disciples, and rides it into Jerusalem with the same Psalm being sung.