21:1–11 Jesus enters Jerusalem by the Roman road beginning in Jericho and climbing, in 17 miles (27 km), from 850 feet (260 m) below sea level to 2,500 feet (760 m) above it. The road passed over the Mount of Olives, which stood above the temple and provided a spectacular panoramic view of the city (v. 1). Zechariah 14:3–4 prophesied that the Lord would stand on the Mount of Olives when he delivered Israel from its oppressors.

Jesus typically traveled on foot, but, acting like a king, he orders his disciples to requisition an animal for him as he approaches the city and stands on the Mount of Olives. He dispatches two disciples to go into a nearby village in order to “find a donkey” with her colt and bring them to him. If “anyone says anything,” they must say, “The Lord needs them,” and the animals will be sent (Matt. 21:2–3). The disciples do as instructed (v. 6).

This is probably not a miracle in which Jesus has a supernatural vision of a donkey outside a house. Most likely, he has arranged to borrow the animal, much as he arranges to have the Last Supper with his disciples in an upper room (Mark 14:12–16). He plans a symbolic act: to enter Jerusalem on a donkey according to Zechariah 9:9, which says, “Behold, your king is coming to you; . . . humble and mounted on a donkey.” With this, Jesus begins to shift from hiding his identity to revealing it.

The statement, “The Lord needs them” (Matt. 21:3) may or may not be part of that self-revelation. “The Lord” may mean that the Lord God, Yahweh, needs the animal for his purposes. Or perhaps Jesus is calling himself “Lord.” This would be novel. Jesus does not casually call himself Lord, with the possible exception of this passage. On the other hand, this is a time of increasing self-revelation. It may be best to take the Greek term kyrios a different way, without capital letters. Kyrios is the common Greek word for owner, including the owner of an animal, so Jesus may want the disciples to say that the owner of this animal needs it. That is, the owner is in Jesus’ entourage and, knowing Jesus’ goals, has offered to let him take his donkey. In support of this view, when Jesus anticipates objections to the disciples’ taking the animals, he says “if anyone”—not “if the owner”—“says anything to you.” That makes sense if the owner is with Jesus and not with his animal.345

It is a marvel that Jesus rides calmly into Jerusalem on an untrained, never-ridden colt. This is a symbolic act. Jesus, master of all, masters this animal. And since no one had previously ridden the animal, this hints that Jesus is King, since none but the king could ride a royal mount. The donkey also hints that Jesus is a peaceful king. Kings and generals typically ride warhorses. No one fights battles, terrorizes enemies, or rains blows on foes while riding a young donkey.

Third, the donkey reveals that Jesus comes to fulfill prophecy. Matthew writes, “This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet” (v. 4). He quotes one sentence from Zechariah, perhaps expecting readers to know the rest. Zechariah 9:8–12 prophesies that God will liberate Jerusalem by the hand of a king who comes in humility, “mounted . . . on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” In Zechariah, God promises to guard his house, city, and nation. No oppressor will march over the land (Zech. 9:8). Therefore, he says: “Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; . . . humble and mounted on a donkey” (Zech. 9:9). When the king comes, the Lord will remove chariots, warhorses, and battle bows from Jerusalem. He will proclaim peace to the nations because of his covenant with Israel. Jerusalem must rejoice, for her king is coming, gently, peacefully, and ready to rule the nations “from sea to sea” (Zech. 9:10–12). Matthew cites the prophecy of the king’s gentle ride on a donkey but omits the prophecy of a rule from sea to sea. Perhaps it is not yet time for Christ to manifest his rule throughout the world. So he presents himself as a peaceful King. Although the crowd hardly understands all of this, they pay him homage in an impressive celebration.

Whether anyone in the crowd catches the reference to Zechariah, a celebration breaks out as Jesus enters the city. Messianic hopes are high during these years and run higher at Passover. Jesus has just demonstrated his powers (Matt. 20:34), men have called him “Son of David” (20:30–31), and crowds have long called Jesus a prophet. That day they add homage to Jesus as King.

The disciples lay their cloaks on the donkey, lest the king ride bareback (21:7).346 The crowd hurried to “spread their cloaks on the road” before the king’s animal (21:8), as people did for Jehu in 2 Kings 9:13. They also “cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road,” lest the king’s mount touch the ground, much as Israel celebrated with palm branches when Simon Maccabeus liberated Jerusalem in 165 BC (1 Macc. 13:51).

The crowds entering the city with Jesus begin an impromptu procession, shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” (21:9).347 “Hosanna,” from Psalm 118:25, originally was a cry for help: “God save us.” It became a cry of praise to God. In this passage “it amounts to ‘God save’ . . . [or] ‘praise be’ to the messianic king.”348 So the people shout their hope that God will deliver them through Jesus, the Son of David, the coming one, that is, the Messiah. Such claims can, in turn, take a nationalistic tone.349 But Jesus soon teaches that his kingdom is a people or nation without lands, languages, or borders (Matt. 21:43).

When the crowd calls Jesus “Son of David,” they imagine a king like David, destroying Israel’s foes, liberating Israel from Rome. A prayer from Jesus’ era asked God to raise up a royal Son of David as Messiah “to destroy the unrighteous rulers, to purge Jerusalem from Gentiles,” and to rule in righteousness.350 Most of the crowd is misguided. Their hope for military victory through Jesus probably leads some of them to turn from praise to calls for his blood within days.

As in 2:3, word of Jesus’ arrival shakes the city (21:10). Jerusalem is packed with pilgrims for Passover. The crowds surrounding Jesus, largely from Galilee, seem thrilled.351 But the leaders are upset (Luke 19:37–39). Matthew 21:10 seems to say that the whole city asks, “Who is this?” The crowds reply, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee” (21:11). This sounds like an important question with a bad answer. Overall, however, their answer is more inadequate than false.

Jesus is a prophet.352 Indeed, the term “the prophet” could refer to the long-awaited prophet (cf. John 7:40), that is, the prophet like Moses (Deut. 18:15–18), great in word and deed, both performing miracles (like Elijah or Elisha) and speaking for God (like Isaiah or Jeremiah). Yet if “the prophet” sounds positive, “from Nazareth” is not, for nothing good comes from Nazareth (John 1:46). More importantly, Matthew has already told his readers that “prophet” is insufficient. Men say Jesus is a prophet (Matt. 16:13–14).

The crowds underestimate Jesus even as they praise him, and so the grand scene ends in confusion. Jesus performs no miracle, starts no war. Instead, he walks into the temple. Luke’s record of Jesus’ tears spells out what Matthew implies. Luke records how Jesus weeps as he approaches Jerusalem. If only the people knew what would bring them peace, but it is hidden from their eyes. They want a Son of David to drive out Rome. Thus the city that hears “Hosannas” will hear “Crucify him” a few days later. Instead of knowing peace through God’s Messiah, they turn to political and military deliverers, rebel, fail, and face the wrath of Rome (Luke 19:41–44).

Taking Matthew’s Gospel as a whole, this passage presents Jesus as he is, not as Israel imagines him. They want a fighting prophet-king but do not notice that Jesus rides a donkey. He is King and will define himself. Matthew says Jesus is the king who chooses the cross, who chooses to be slain by Rome rather than to slay Romans. As King, he spurns temporal power and dies on a cross instead. His reign is spiritual and indirect, occurring through mediators and institutions such as church, family, and school. It normally operates through God’s general providence but also comes by God’s direct intervention. We must know Jesus, the King, as he comes in this age. Jesus will come in power, on a warhorse, on the last day (Rev. 19:11–21). Until then he comes gently, on a donkey. He saves not by slaying his foes but by dying for them.