The chapter
Simply He arrives in Jerusalem to shouting and spread cloaks, walks into the temple, looks around at everything, and leaves again because it is late. The next day he comes back and clears it.
Context Mark tells the fig tree and the temple as one thing. He curses a tree that has leaves and no fruit on the way in, clears the temple, and the next morning the disciples find the tree withered to the roots and Peter points it out. The middle scene is held inside the outer one, which is how this gospel often signals that two events are to be read against each other.
Verses 1-11
Simply He sends two disciples for a colt nobody has ridden, with an answer prepared for anyone who asks why they are untying it. People spread their clothes and cut branches, and shout Hosanna and blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Context What the crowd shouts is a line of Psalm 118, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, with a second line added that is not in the psalm, about the coming kingdom of our father David. Then the day ends flatly: he goes into the temple, looks at everything, and goes back out to Bethany with the twelve, because it is evening.
Verses 12-19
Simply He is hungry, sees a fig tree in leaf, finds nothing on it, and says nobody will eat from it again. Mark adds the detail that makes it strange rather than obvious: it was not the season for figs.
Context In the temple he turns over the tables of the money changers and the seats of the dove sellers, and stops people carrying goods through. The two lines he teaches from are prophets: a house of prayer for all the nations comes from Isaiah, and a den of robbers from Jeremiah, where it is a question asked about that same temple. The chief priests and scribes start looking for a way to destroy him, and Mark says why they do not act: they were afraid of him, because the crowd was astonished at his teaching.
Verses 20-26
Simply Peter points at the withered tree, and the answer is about prayer rather than about trees: have faith in God, and what you ask for believing, you will have.
Context The promise does not stand on its own for long. Two verses later it is tied to a condition that has nothing to do with confidence: when you stand praying, forgive whatever you have against anyone, so that your Father may forgive you too.
Verses 27-33
Simply Back in the temple the chief priests, scribes and elders ask him where his authority comes from. He offers to answer if they will answer one question first: was John's baptism from heaven or from men?
Context Mark lets the reader hear them work it out. Either answer costs them something, one against their own position and one against a crowd that held John to be a prophet, so they say they do not know, and are told nothing. The exchange is about authority and ends without either side stating theirs.