And they departed, and found a colt bound to the door without at the crossway, and they loose him.
Two disciples go ahead with only a description, and find the colt tied at a door in the open street, just as Jesus said. Mark's small details raise big questions: how did Jesus know, by what right did He take another man's colt, and why does untying it matter?
Nobody proposed this ride. The Lord arranged it Himself.
The crowd did not bring a richly decorated animal. The disciples had not prepared the colt, nor asked the Lord to mount it. The Lord took the initiative by sending two of His disciples to the entrance of Bethphage to get it. For the foal was there, tied at a door outside in the open street, as Mark tells us — or perhaps at a cross-way leading round the house. He told them where to find it, what to do, and what to say to the owners. Zechariah had foretold that the foal would be available for the King's use. The Lord made known where it was actually standing at that moment. It was there ready to bring in the King, according to prophecy.
Other writers set this beside the rest of what He knew in advance.
Mark 2:8 and John 6:61 prove that His knowledge was not human but divine... He could and did point out beforehand the coin in the fish's mouth, the whereabouts of the donkey's colt, and the man carrying the jar of water.
This detail of place comes from Mark. Some older translations read "in a place where two ways met" instead of the ESV's "outside in the street."
Turning to Mark, we learn where exactly at Bethphage the two disciples found the foal. It was tied to a door outside where two ways met, that is, at the crossing... Mark's character as a historian who attends to details comes out here very distinctly.
Two men untying a stranger's animal in the street would look like theft.
Only the Lord could give such instructions, for all things are His property; for anyone else to do this would be stealing. No difficulty arose, for the words "the Lord has need of him" settled the matter even for the owners, who at first questioned the disciples.
One writer reads the whole scene as governed by God. He also leaves open who "the Lord" in the message is.
It is above all a scene under the governing hand of God. He would and did control the feelings of those who watched the colt taken. In the same way He later directed the actions and shouts of the crowd along the road... The Lord had need of the donkey's colt, whether they took the title to mean Jehovah or the king who came in His name.
Why was the colt tied, and what did untying it give?
The colt was unbroken, for no one had ever sat on it, and so it was tied up under restraint. It was loosed from restraint, but only so that He might sit on it. Under His powerful hand it was perfectly held in check. This is a picture of how grace sets us free from the bondage of the law.
Reading the older wording, one writer sees a picture of the nation itself standing at a junction.
The colt of a donkey is no doubt typical of Israel in her unbroken state of rebellion, yet restrained by being tied (under bondage to law). The two ways meeting there show that Israel was now brought to the crossroads: which way would she take? She was outside the door, not having entered into the blessings God has provided for that nation.
That easy consent points forward. One writer sees in it a sample of a day still to come.
If anyone asked why the disciples were untying the colt, it was enough to reply "that the Lord has need of him." Every question would stop at once. So it happened. And so it will be in the coming day of glory. Then this will be true of Zion: "Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power" (Psalm 110:3).
- Foreseen — Christ knew where the colt stood, tied at a door in the open, before anyone went to look.
- Owned — Only One who owns all things could send men to untie another's animal; from anyone else it would be theft.
- Loosed — It was untied not to run wild but to carry Him; freedom here means passing under His hand.
- Willing — Objectors raised their question, heard "the Lord has need of it," and let it go.
- Prophesied — Zechariah had said the colt would be ready for the King, and there it stood. It is a small preview of the day when His people offer themselves freely.
And some of those who stood there said to them, What are ye doing, loosing the colt?
Two disciples untie an animal that is not theirs, and bystanders challenge them. The Lord had already given them their answer, and one sentence about His need settled it.
The whole errand began with Jesus, not with the crowd or the disciples. He named the place, the animal, and the words to use before anyone had raised an objection.
The crowd did not bring an animal in rich harness. The disciples had not prepared the colt, nor asked the Lord to mount it. The Lord took the initiative by sending two of His disciples to the entrance of Bethphage to get it. Mark tells us the foal was tied at a door outside in the open street, or perhaps a crossway leading round the house. He told them where to find it, what to do, and what to say to the owners. Zechariah had foretold that the foal would be available for the King's use. The Lord made known where it was standing at that moment. It was there ready to bring in the King, as prophecy said.
Zechariah is the prophet who foretold this King's coming.
The disciples had no argument to make and no permission to produce. They had one sentence, and it was enough.
As they came near to Jerusalem, everything was made ready for the Lord to present Himself to Israel as the Son of David, fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah (Zech. 9:9)… Coming as the King He acts with kingly authority. If anyone asked why the disciples were untying the colt, one reply was enough: "that the Lord has need of him." At once every question would cease. So it happened. And so it will be in the coming day of glory, when it will be true of Zion: "Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power." (Ps. 110:3).
Taking someone else's animal is theft — unless the one who sends you already owns it.
Only the Lord could give such instructions, because all things are His property. For anyone else to do this would be stealing. No difficulty presented itself, for the words, "the Lord has need of him" settled the matter even for the owners, who at first questioned the disciples.
Commentators differ on what the title "the Lord" meant to those listening. One reads the reply as the owner of all things claiming what is His by right. Another suspects the title is left vague on purpose.
Above all, this is a scene under the governing hand of God. He would and did control the feelings of those who saw the colt taken. In the same way He later directed the deeds and shouts of the crowd along the way. "The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the LORD." This is so true here that I suspect "the Lord" is left vague on purpose, as in Mark 5:19. The Lord had need of the donkey's colt, whether they took the title to mean Jehovah or the king who came in His name. Only in the two closing verses of this Gospel can we be sure He is called "the Lord."
Mark notes where the colt stood and what it was tied to. Those details carry a picture.
They found the colt tied by a door in a place where two ways met. The colt of a donkey surely pictures Israel in her unbroken state of rebellion, yet held back by being tied (under bondage to law). The two ways meeting there show that Israel had now come to the crossroads: which way would she take?… They untie the colt (a picture of release from bondage to law), so that the Lord Jesus may take rightful control… He takes the reins, and the donkey becomes completely tame. How precious this picture is of what His grace can do in the heart of a stubborn person!
The colt was set free for one use only. That has something to say to anyone who serves Christ today.
The Spirit of God has been careful to tell us that the disciples did just what the Lord told them. The result was the colt set free for the purpose the Lord needed it for. The Lord Himself has gone from the scene, but His Name and His interests are here. So we should care that all we do and say sets affections free and attaches them in loyalty to an absent Christ.
- He asks first. The errand starts with Christ. He names the place, the colt, and the reply before a single bystander speaks.
- He owns already. For anyone else this would be theft; the claim only stands because everything is His property.
- He needs anyway. The one who owns it all still says He has need of it — and that sentence, not a permit, settles the question.
- He is given willingly. God was governing hearts that day, so the bystanders let them go. It points ahead to Zion's people offering themselves freely on the day of His power.
- He is carried. The colt is untied only so the Lord may ride — the pattern for every service done in His Name while He is absent.
And they said to them as Jesus had commanded. And they let them [do it].
Two disciples walk into a village, untie an animal that is not theirs, and are challenged on the spot. They repeat one sentence, and the objection collapses. What did that sentence claim, and why did it work?
The disciples add nothing of their own. They repeat His words, and the matter is closed. One writer links the scene to the prophet Zechariah, and reads the instant compliance as a preview of a future day:
Near Jerusalem, preparation is made to present the Lord to Israel as the Son of David. This fulfils the prophecy of Zechariah (Zechariah 9:9). Coming as the King, He acts with kingly authority. If anyone asked why the disciples were untying the colt, one reply was enough: "the Lord has need of him." At once every question would cease. So it happened. So it will be in the coming day of glory, when it will be true of Zion that "Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power" (Psalm 110:3).
The sentence asks no permission. It states a right, and everything turns on whose right it is:
Only the Lord could give such instructions, because all things are His property. For anyone else, this would be stealing. No difficulty appeared. The owners questioned the disciples at first, but the words "the Lord has need of him" settled the matter even for them.
The owners had every natural reason to refuse, and they did not. One writer looks past them to the hand behind the scene, and weighs how much the title "the Lord" was meant to claim:
This is above all a scene under the governing hand of God. He would and did control the feelings of those who watched the disciples take the colt. Later He directed the deeds and shouts of the crowd along the road in the same way. "The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the LORD." This is so true that I suspect the title "the Lord" here is left vague on purpose, as it is in Mark 5:19. The Lord had need of the donkey's colt, whether they applied the title to Jehovah or to the king who came in His name.
The message had a second half. What He claims, He also promises to send back:
The owners saw the disciples untying the colt and asked why. They answered as their Master had told them: "The Lord has need of him, and He will send him back here at once." So it seems Mark wrote (11:3). The Master needed the colt for a short time, and would give it back when He had finished with it.
Some read the animal as a picture. It stands tied outside a door where two roads meet:
They found the colt tied by a door in a place where two ways met. The colt of a donkey is no doubt typical of Israel in her unbroken state of rebellion, yet restrained by being tied (under bondage to law). The two ways meeting there show that Israel was now brought to the crossroads: which way would she take?... They untie the colt (typically from legal bondage), so that the Lord Jesus may be given rightful control. The Lord Jesus takes the reins, and the donkey becomes thoroughly docile. How precious is this picture of what His grace can do in the heart of a stubborn person!
Another writer rejects that reading. For him the detail matters for a plainer reason — He said what would happen, and it happened:
Writers old and new have laboured to find in this remarkable incident a picture of the Gentiles obeying the gospel, since the Lord received and rode the colt. That seems to me far from intelligent. It was simply the evidence of His divine knowledge, and the assertion among the Jews of His claim as Jehovah Messiah. That claim was proved by facts, and by the submission of human hearts wherever God was pleased to produce it for the honour of His Son. That is why the Spirit records the exact words spoken, and how everything He said came true.
- Claim — "The Lord has need of him" does not ask a favour. It claims ownership. From any other lips the same act would be theft.
- Word — The disciples add nothing of their own. They repeat His sentence, and the objection dies.
- Willingness — The owners let the colt go because God governed their feelings. It is a small foretaste of the day when His people offer themselves freely (Psalm 110:3).
- Return — The claim came with a promise to send the colt straight back; He takes for a purpose, not for keeps.
- Picture — Commentators differ. Some see a stubborn creature untied and made docile under His hand. Others see plain proof of His divine knowledge and His claim as Messiah.
And they led the colt to Jesus, and cast their clothes upon it, and he sat on it;
Jesus is almost at Jerusalem, and two disciples come back from a nearby village with a young donkey no one has ever ridden. In this one verse the King of Israel presents Himself to His city, and every detail counts.
The colt did not belong to the disciples. They took it on the strength of one sentence from Jesus. One writer hears in that sentence the right of Israel's God over all He has made:
The sending for the colt shows the Lord as Jehovah, who has a perfect right to all. "The Lord (Jehovah) has need of them." Nothing could be more thorough than His knowledge of circumstances still hidden in the future. How clear His control over the owner's mind and feeling! He was meek, sitting on a donkey, the King of Zion the prophet spoke of. Yet He was as surely Jehovah as He was the Messiah coming in His name. That "need of them" is as amazing as the glory of His person.
Another writer hears the words as a king's command, and notes that they ended every objection:
He comes as the King, and He acts with royal authority. If anyone asked why the disciples were untying the colt, one answer was enough: "the Lord has need of it." Every question stopped at once. So it happened then, and so it will be in the coming day of glory. Then it will be true of Zion that "Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power" (Ps. 110:3).
Mark has already told us no one had ever sat on this colt. An unbroken animal carried Him through a shouting crowd and did not bolt. That says something about who He is:
Matthew 21 describes Jesus as meek, yet He also shows features of power. The power of the Creator shows in His sitting on an unbroken colt (Mark 11:2, 7).
The tying, the untying and the sitting carry a lesson beyond that day:
The colt was unbroken, for no one had ever sat on it, so they kept it tied up. They untied it for one reason only: so that He might sit on it. Under His powerful hand it stayed completely under control. This is a picture of how grace sets us free from the bondage of the law.
There was no royal harness. The King rode on His followers' own clothing:
Without further discussion the two disciples led off the foal. They first laid their garments on its back, and then seated the Lord on it. Nor was that enough: others spread their garments on the road, carpeting the track He was to pass over.
This was not just a burst of enthusiasm. One writer traces the whole scene back to God at work behind it:
The same divine power was controlling the hearts of the disciples and of the crowd. It moved them to give this testimony to the royalty of Jesus, and to fulfil the words of the Prophet. "They threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it." A new position for the lowly Jesus — yet lovely even in this.
The choice of mount was the message. A donkey was not what people expected a king to ride:
There is no record of any king of Israel riding a donkey, for the donkey is the symbol of lowliness. A king would normally ride a horse, the symbol of strength and conquest. That will be true of the Lord Jesus in a future day, when He comes in majestic power as "King of kings and Lord of lords" (Rev. 19:11-16).
Matthew mentions the mother donkey as well; Mark, Luke and John speak only of the colt. One writer sees meaning in what Mark leaves out:
The colt here is seen alone, and not, as in Matthew, in company with its mother. It is grace entirely, not government.
- Claimed. "The Lord has need of it" was enough. He has a perfect right to all, and He controlled the owner's mind and feeling.
- Loosed. The colt was tied because it was unbroken; it was untied for one purpose only — that He might sit on it.
- Steadied. An animal no one had ever ridden carried Him calmly through a shouting crowd. Under His hand it stayed perfectly under control.
- Clothed. He had no saddle and no royal harness. His followers laid down their own garments, and God was moving the hands that laid them.
- Lowly. The King came on a donkey, the sign of lowliness — grace first. The horse of strength and conquest belongs to a future day.