Expositor's Bible Commentary 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." — Mark 11:3 (ASV)

Jesus anticipated that the actions of the disciples might be questioned, so he instructed them how to answer when asked why they were taking the colt. By capitalizing “Lord” (GK 3261), NIV has interpreted the passage to mean that Jesus was referring to himself—the other option is to translate the Greek word used here as “owner..” Jesus probably was well known by this time in the area around Bethany, and his authority as “Lord” was recognized.