As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.” 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: 5 “Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’” 6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!” 10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” 11 The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.” (Matthew 21:1-11, see also Mark 11:1-10; Luke 19:29-44; John 12:12-19).
How did Jesus know about the donkey that was prepared for him? It was probably done by prearrangement with the owner, but it could have been an act of foreknowledge. In this passage, Jesus is deliberately allowing himself to be promoted and praised in Jerusalem during a very crowded time of year.
It is estimated that perhaps two million people crammed into the city for the Passover celebration. Until now, Jesus had sometimes avoided the spotlight and he even told some people not to publicize his miraculous deeds. This occasion was different.
On Sunday of his final week, Jesus was actually fulfilling a messianic prophecy found in Zechariah 9:9: “Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” There were actually two animals involved, the mother and the colt (foal). Jesus rode on the colt, with the mother walking beside (Luke 19:35). The spreading of garments and branches was done to show honor to conquerors and princes.
There is an old story about the donkey that carried Jesus. He was so excited when he arrived in the city and had a chance to talk to some of his animal friends. He could hardly contain his joy, and said, “You’ll never guess what happened to me! I’m used to being cussed at, criticized, and kicked, but as I was walking through the town today, people were praising me and laying branches and clothing down, and saying, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” It felt so good. I’m finally getting the praise I deserve! The young donkey had misunderstood the significance of the event. The people weren’t showing their appreciation for him — it was all about Jesus!
Similarly, we can all be like that donkey and fail to give the praise to God for the good things that happen to us. It should be our great desire to carry Jesus (so to speak) into the dark places of this world and reveal him to lost and broken people. But we must always remember: None of the praise, none of the applause goes to us. He deserves it all!
The colt Jesus rode on had never been ridden before, so you would think it would be necessary to train the animal to be receptive to a human rider. The presence of the mother may have calmed the young colt down, but one might wonder if this is another example of our Lord’s mastery over the created order. Although we sometimes struggle to obey the Lord, the young donkey had no problem submitting to him!
There may have been another reason for Jesus allowing this public show of appreciation. When the religious leaders saw the enthusiastic response of the people, it spiked their jealousy and reinforced their determination to get rid of Jesus. The people proclaimed Jesus as their King and they shouted Hosanna, which is a Hebrew expression which means, “Save now!” It later came to be an exclamation of praise. These people were quoting from Psalm 118:25-26, and it’s a psalm that is messianic in nature. Later that week, in Matthew 21:42, Jesus himself would refer to that same psalm and apply it to himself (Psalm 118:22-23).
The people ascribed the messianic title, “Son of David,” to Jesus, and they referred to him as a prophet (Matthew 21:11). With all the celebrating going on, the gospel of Luke provides some further context. Luke 19:41 says that as Jesus approached Jerusalem, he was weeping. The verb is very strong, indicating “wailing and sobbing.” Jesus was not intoxicated by the passion and the kind words of the crowd.
Warren Wiersbe said: “As he [Jesus] looked around, Jesus saw religious activity that accomplished very little. The temple had become a den of thieves, and the religious leaders were out to kill Him. The city was filled with pilgrims celebrating a festival, but the hearts of the people were heavy with sin and life’s burdens. Jesus also realized that he would soon be rejected and crucified. His thoughts were not fixated on his death, but the horrible fate of Jerusalem. In fact, the Romans destroyed the city in 70 A.D.”
Sadly, the people did not know that God had visited them! (Luke 19:44). As it says in John 1:11, “He [Jesus] came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.” Jesus publicly received a King’s welcome on that day, but most of the Jews didn’t realize the true significance of why he came. Thankfully, there will be a day when our Lord returns, at his second coming, when the King comes again in power and great glory (Rev. 19:11ff).
Prayer
Jesus, thank you for visiting this planet to show us what God is like. You deserve all the praise and adoration that we can give you. Please forgive us when we’re not consistent in living out our faith. Open the eyes of our heart that we might recognize your love and trust your work in our lives each day.
Question
Can you recall a time in your life where you felt joyful because you knew God was at work, or sad, because you knew that God’s will wasn’t being done?