And when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, at the mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,
The Lord's last journey to Jerusalem turns here. He stops at a village on the Mount of Olives, sends two disciples ahead, and everything that follows starts with this quiet act of a King arranging His own entry.
One writer sees the Lord forcing the question, so that Israel's refusal of Him would be open and deliberate:
Before the Lord Jesus would formally announce their present loss of the kingdom, I think He would first draw out from the nation of Israel a formal rejection of Him. He would stand before them fully displayed in His character as their King, so that they might be left without excuse. This is how the scene of His last solemn entry into their city comes about. As we shall see, He entered in the style and actions of the true Son of David, the rightful King of Israel.
Another writer shows what this entry settled for the nation:
He enters Jerusalem as King, according to the prophecy of Zechariah... His whole character here puts the Jews under the final test: the presence of Messiah their King. It brings on their judgment as He is about to leave them. The rejected King passes them all in review before Him and assigns them their place. It is the last closing act between Messiah and Jerusalem.
The village name carries meaning, and so does the animal He sends for:
So now He approaches Jerusalem, at Bethphage, the "house of unripe figs." The meaning of the fig soon becomes important. He sends two of His disciples to claim the donkey and the colt for His service, and He rides into the city on the colt. The animal was characteristic of the Prince of peace, in contrast with the war-horse on which we see Him in Revelation (Rev. 19:11). The young animal had never been ridden. It also shows the new and free spirit of obedience which alone could bring Him into His place among His people — so as to be willing in the day of His power (Ps. 110:3).
The people already had prophecies about this hill:
Jesus comes to the Mount of Olives. The Jews knew well what the prophets had said about this mountain. They should have entered into the spirit of what the Lord was doing.
One ridge holds His past and His future together:
From the same place He had entered Jerusalem as their King, according to this prophet (Zech. 9:9), riding on a donkey's colt. On the same Mount of Olives He sat in Matthew 24, surrounded by His Jewish disciples. He had left His nation, until the day when they would say, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord." His nation rejected and crucified Him, and from the same mountain He ascended to heaven (Acts 1). And on that same mountain His feet shall stand when He returns for their full and complete deliverance in grace!
The errand He gives the two disciples is itself a claim:
The sending for the colt shows the Lord as Jehovah, who has a perfect right to all. "The Lord has need of them." What could be more complete 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 that the prophet spoke of. Yet He was as surely Jehovah as He was Messiah coming in His name. His "need of them" is as astonishing as the glory of His person.
The owners' response is the surprise:
The owners of the animal had to listen to this claim: "The Lord has need of him." Against nature, and against everything the heart of man would have argued for, they sent him "at once."
Riding a donkey was not a step down from kingship. It was the older, purer form of it:
In the purest days of Jewish government the leading men in Israel used no animals but donkeys (Judges 5:10; 10:4; 12:14). Horses only came in during the corrupt times of Solomon. So when the Lord took up the style of "King of Israel," He took every feature, however small, of the only pure and true form of that character... Moses had ruled that Israel's king must not surround himself with display that might lift up his head in pride above his brothers (Deut. 17:14).
- Purpose. He drew near on purpose, presenting Himself as King so the nation would answer openly and have no excuse.
- Place. He drew near at Bethphage, "the house of unripe figs," and on the Mount of Olives — the mountain of His entry, His ascension, and His return.
- Claim. He drew near as Jehovah: He knew what was still hidden, and "The Lord has need of them" moved the owners at once.
- Manner. He drew near meek, on a donkey rather than a war-horse — the pure, unproud kingship Moses had prescribed.
- Outcome. He drew near for the last time as Messiah. The rejected King reviews the nation, assigns them their place — and one day His feet will stand on that same mountain.
saying to them, Go into the village over against you, and immediately ye will find an ass tied, and a colt with it; loose [them] and lead [them] to me.
Jesus sends two disciples ahead on an errand that sounds ordinary: fetch an animal from a nearby village. Yet He has already settled every detail — which village, what they will find, and what they must do with it. The command is simple, but it raises questions. How did He know? By what right did He take? And why two animals, not one?
Nobody suggested this to Jesus. The arrangements begin with Him, and He can name a spot He is not standing in.
Who suggested it? 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. The foal was there, tied — Mark tells us — at a door out in the open street, or perhaps at a crossway running 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, according to prophecy.
If anyone else sent men to untie another man's animal, it would be theft. Everything here depends on who gives the order.
This act of the Lord flashes out His glory once more, and shows that the King-Messiah is Jehovah. He knew that a donkey was tied there with a colt, just as He knew about the fish and the piece of silver in the sea. He commanded the fish with the coin to come to Peter's hook. In the same way, here He demands the use of the donkey and the colt. He has a right to them, for He is the Creator. He can say what He has said: "For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is mine" (Ps. 50:10, 11).
The choice of animal was not humility only. It was the royal style of Israel at its best.
We learn that in the purest days of Jewish government the leading men in Israel used no animals but donkeys (Judges 5:10; Judges 10:4; Judges 12:14). Horses only came in later, in the corrupt times of Solomon. So when the Lord took up the style of "King of Israel," He of course took every feature, however small, that belonged to the only pure and true form of that character. That is why He orders His disciples to bring a donkey's colt to Him. Besides, this was the Messiah showing Himself as King, just as the prophet had presented Him beforehand (Zech. 9:9). His being "meek and lowly" was as kingly a feature as any other.
Only Matthew names both animals. The pair pictures the nation, old and new.
Matthew alone mentions "a donkey tied, and a colt with her," according to Zech. 9:9... The three other Gospels mention the colt only. Here, in Matthew, the old Israel and the renewed nation are linked together. The Lord's entry into Jerusalem is upon the "colt, the foal of a donkey" — the new Israel will bring Him in with Hosannas! ... The donkey was, according to the law, "unclean"; but its foal could be redeemed.
The same writer gives a practical reason for the mother being there at all.
Notice that the two disciples had the Lord's direction to bring the mother. They were not acting on their own sense of what was wise. Christ's use of the two may be put down to His tenderness. The colt would be restless from discomfort, and its mother's presence would settle it. The Lord's hand resting on her may have guided her movements, so that she could better keep pace with the colt on which He rode.
The colt is tied up, and the order is to set it loose. But it is not set loose to run free.
The colt was unbroken, for no man had 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 restrained. This is a parable of how grace sets us free from the bondage of the law.
- Command. The scene starts with Christ's word. The crowd did not plan it, and neither did the disciples.
- Knowledge. He describes an animal He cannot see, at a door in a village He has not entered. That is the knowledge of Jehovah, not a guess.
- Ownership. He asks permission of no one, because the cattle on a thousand hills are already His.
- Character. He calls for the mount of Israel's leaders in their purest days. Meekness here is kingship, not the lack of it.
- Loosing. The colt goes free only to come to Him and stay under His hand — freedom, in this picture, means belonging to Christ.
And if any one say anything to you, ye shall say, The Lord has need of them, and straightway he will send them.
The Lord is about to enter Jerusalem as King. He sends two disciples for an animal they do not own, and gives them one sentence to say if anyone stops them. Those few words raise the question the whole scene turns on. By what right does He take another man's property? And how does He know it is there?
The disciples do not ask a favour. They carry a claim made under the name Jehovah — the name of Israel's God.
The sending for the colt shows the Lord as Jehovah, who has a perfect right to all. "The Lord (Jehovah) has need of them." What could be more complete than His knowledge of things still hidden in the future? How clear His control over the owner's mind and feelings! He was meek, sitting on a donkey, the King of Zion the prophet spoke of. Yet He was as surely Jehovah as He was Messiah coming in His name. His "need of them" is as amazing as the glory of His person.
He asks for what already belongs to Him as Maker.
He has a right to them, for He is the Creator, and He can say as He has said: "For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is mine" (Ps. 50:10-11)… It was His word that demanded obedience, and His word was obeyed.
No one else arranged this. The plan is His, down to the words the disciples are to say.
But who suggested that? 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. He sent two of His disciples to the entrance of Bethphage to get it… 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.
The promise attached is that no argument will follow. That takes more than knowing the facts. It takes power over a stranger's will.
He sends two of His disciples. If anyone asked, "Why are you doing this?" they were simply to say: "The Lord has need of it," and at once he would send it. So He knew and directed a heart far away, and showed how David's Lord had every claim to be David's Son. He who did these things by this divine power and ordering was surely claiming, in grace, the place of David's Son. Everything was already subject to Him, whatever He might subject Himself to. This was over several hearts, whoever they were, so it was not merely knowledge of the owner, but control of their hearts.
That quiet surrender previews something larger.
If anyone asked why the disciples were untying the colt, one reply was enough: "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 it will be true of Zion that "Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power" (Ps. 110:3).
The animal He sends for is not a step down from royalty. In Israel's history it was the mark of true rule.
We learn that in the purest days of Jewish government the leading men in Israel rode donkeys only (Judges 5:10; 10:4; 12:14). Horses did not come in until the corrupt times of Solomon. So when the Lord took up the style of "King of Israel," He of course took every feature, however small, that belonged to the only pure and true form of that character. That is why He orders His disciples to bring a donkey's colt to Him… and His being "meek and lowly" was as kingly a feature as any other.
The verse says "them," not "it." Two animals are in view.
Matthew alone mentions "a donkey tied, and a colt with her," according to Zech. 9:9. The three other Gospels mention the colt only. Here, in Matthew, the old Israel and the renewed nation are connected. The Lord's entry into Jerusalem is on the "colt, the foal of a donkey" — the new Israel will bring Him in with Hosannas!
- Right — the name He sends is Jehovah's own. The One asking for a colt owns the cattle on a thousand hills.
- Knowledge — no one told Him anything. He names the place, the animal, the objection and the answer before any of it happens.
- Power — the owner sends the colt at once. That is control of a heart He had never met, not just knowledge of it.
- Meekness — the donkey is not a lesser choice. It is the royal one, matching Israel's purest days and the prophet's word.
- Preview — a stranger gives up his colt at a word. It is a first taste of the day when His people will offer themselves freely.
But all this came to pass, that that might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, saying,
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.
Say to the daughter of Zion, Behold thy King cometh to thee, meek, and mounted upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.
Matthew quotes an old prophecy at the moment Jesus rides into Jerusalem. Two questions follow. Why does Israel's King arrive on a donkey instead of a horse? And why does Matthew quote only part of the prophet's words?
Prophecy had set the manner of His entry long before. Yet He is not carried along by events. He gives the orders.
The Lord then enters Jerusalem according to prophecy. He enters it, however, not in the outward pomp and glory that the nations look for. He comes as the prophet's words now literally came true: Jehovah's King sitting on a donkey in the spirit of humiliation. But this very thing gave the fullest proof that He was Jehovah Himself. The word to the owner of the donkey and colt was, "The Lord has need of them."
The pronoun matters.
Note that it is "your" King. As another has written, "He does not say a king, but your King, your own, the long-promised, the long-expected."
Older translations say "meek" or "lowly" where the ESV says "humble." The word covers the whole style of His arrival.
Kings were always presented in great pomp and dignity, riding at least a beautiful horse. To come in meekness instead of authority, on a donkey's colt instead of a war horse, is so unlike a king's usual presentation that Israel should have been woken up by such a prophecy. They should have recognised this occasion as its clear fulfilment.
Yet lowliness was not a lapse from kingliness. Israel's own history and law had set this pattern for a ruler.
In the purest days of the Jewish government, the leading men in Israel used no animals but donkeys (Judges 5:10; Judges 10:4; Judges 12:14). Horses only came in during the corrupt times of Solomon. So when the Lord took up the style of "King of Israel," He of course took every feature, however small, that belonged to the only pure and true form of such a character... and His being "meek and lowly" was as kingly a feature as any other. Moses had ruled that the king later appointed over Israel must not surround himself with the pomp that might lift up his head in pride above his brothers. Christ the King would surely follow the model Moses gave (Deut. 17:14).
The prophecy also called the King "just, and having salvation." Matthew leaves those words out.
We ask the reader to notice the omission of the words, "just, and having salvation." Why are they not quoted? Because they would not apply to the Saviour's circumstances then. He was going to certain and known rejection. It was always true that He had salvation for those who put their trust in Him. But He was not at that time going to bring salvation to the daughter of Zion. Nor did He present Himself to her then as the "just," or righteous One. Had He entered her gates in righteousness then (as He will do when He establishes the kingdom), it would have been for her destruction. ... One part of the prophecy has come true. Zion's King did come, lowly, sitting on a donkey. The rest waits for His return to Zion in glory. Then He will be seen as "just, and having salvation."
But who left those words out?
Matthew and Paul are not the ones quoting the Old Testament. The same Spirit of God who gave the Old Testament Scriptures through the prophets is quoting His own words in the New.
Matthew names both the donkey and her foal.
Here, in Matthew, the old Israel and the renewed nation are thus connected. The Lord's entry into Jerusalem is upon the "colt, the foal of a donkey" — the new Israel will bring Him in with Hosannas! ... The donkey was, according to the law, "unclean"; but its foal might be redeemed. See Job 11:12; Ex. 13:13; Ex. 34:20.
His meekness is not a mood that circumstances produced.
We are apt to forget that meekness is His abiding character. It was not produced by His circumstances of trial and sorrow down here, but is a trait of His perfection as man. Whether in the glory at God's right hand, or appearing to Israel as their long-awaited Messiah, He is still the lowly or meek One.
The same meekness will one day mark His people.
Today God's earthly people, the Jews, are neither meek nor beautiful as a nation; nor were any of us in our natural condition. If there is anything beautiful about any of us, it is the fruit of the salvation that has reached us. When Israel at last becomes humble and meek, she will be like her King, who was meek and brought salvation.
- Announced — the entry matches a prophecy written centuries before, down to the animal He rides.
- Owned — He is not just a king but your king, the one long promised to Israel.
- Lowly — a donkey, not a war horse, was the older and purer pattern for a ruler in Israel. It should have woken the city up.
- Withheld — "just, and having salvation" is left out, because rejection, not deliverance, lay just ahead. Commentators see the Spirit quoting His own words, not an error.
- Awaited — the King will return to Zion in glory, and a humbled Israel will be like Him.