Mark 11:16

11:16 and he would not permit anyone to carry merchandise ¹  through the temple courts. ² 

Mark 3:27

3:27 But no one is able to enter a strong man’s ³  house and steal his property unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can thoroughly plunder his house. ⁴ 

¹ tn Or “things.” The Greek word σκεῦος (skeuos) can refer to merchandise, property, goods, a vessel, or even generally “things” (but in the sense of some implement or tool). The idea here is almost certainly restricted to merchandise, rather than the more general “things,” although some suggest from the parallel with m. Berakhot 9.5 that Jesus was not even allowing sandals, staffs, or coin-purses to be carried through the court. The difficulty with this interpretation, however, is that it is fundamentally an appeal to Jewish oral tradition (something Jesus rarely sided with) as well as being indiscriminate toward all the worshipers.

² tn Grk “the temple.”

³ sn The strong man here pictures Satan.

⁴ sn Some see the imagery here as similar to Eph 4:7-10, although no opponents are explicitly named in that passage. Jesus has the victory over Satan. Jesus’ acts of healing mean that the war is being won and the kingdom is coming.