1 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me. 3 And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.” 4 All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: 5 “Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your King is coming to you, Lowly, and sitting on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ” 6 So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.
The events of Matthew 21-28 occur in six days (Jn 12:1-10). We have come to the last week of Jesus’ life. The troupe arrived near the Mount of Olives.
The triumphal entry was the formal presentation of Jesus as the nation’s Messiah, the Son of David.
21:1
Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,
Bethphage was on the southeastern slope of the Mount of Olives overlooking Jerusalem. This village was close to Bethany. The prophetic passage of Zechariah 14:4 says that the Messiah will stand on the Mount of Olives. This is the site where He will return in His Second Coming.
21:2
saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me.
Jesus sent the disciples probably to Bethany. This was fulfillment of prophecy (v. 5).
21:3
And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.”
This is the only passage where Jesus used the term “Lord” of Himself.
21:4
All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:
The requisition of the donkey fulfilled two prophecies from Isaiah and Zechariah (Isa 62:11 and Zech 9:9).
21:5
“Tell the daughter of Zion [the population of Jerusalem],
This is an allusion to Isaiah 62:11.
‘Behold [marks sudden event], your King is coming to you, Lowly, and sitting on a donkey, A colt [young male donkey], the foal of a donkey.’ ”
This is a quote from Zechariah 9:9. This passage speaks of the Messiah bringing the national salvation of Israel to Jerusalem. Matthew does not quote the part that refers to national salvation because Jesus would not do that at this time. He would accomplish it later at His Second Coming (Re 19:11).
21:6
So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them.
The disciples found a colt as Jesus commanded them. The significance of the donkey colt is humility.
21:7
They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them [the clothes].
Jesus sat on the clothes spread upon the colt. The mother donkey walked beside Jesus and the colt because the young colt would not have left his mother. Riding on the younger, shorter donkey indicated something of the humility of this King. He did not come riding on a white stallion.
The Triumphal Entry was a deliberate presentation by Jesus of Himself as King Jesus, King of Israel. The people would either accept Him as King of Israel, the Messiah, or they would not.
PRINCIPLE:
The Triumphal Entry was the direct fulfillment of prophecies from Daniel and Zechariah.
APPLICATION:
It was a moment of historical and prophetical importance when Jesus mounted the donkey. The 69 weeks (years) of Daniel’s prophecy had come into fruition. The word “weeks” is literally sevens. After 483 years the “Messiah would be cut off” (Da 9:26). This date was the month of Nisan, A.D. 30. Daniel’s prophecy of 490 years indicated a break after 483 years with seven years remaining. The seven years remaining are the years of the Tribulation period yet to come. Jesus was “cut off” after 483 years of the decree of Artaxerxes:
Daniel 9:24 “Seventy weeks [490 years] are determined For your people and for your holy city, To finish the transgression, To make an end of sins, To make reconciliation for iniquity, To bring in everlasting righteousness, To seal up vision and prophecy, And to anoint the Most Holy. 25 “Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command To restore and build Jerusalem [the decree of Artaxerxes] Until Messiah the Prince, There shall be seven weeks [literally heptads, that is, years] and sixty-two weeks [62 years]; The street shall be built again, and the wall, Even in troublesome times. 26 “And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off [crucified], but not for Himself; And the people of the prince [Romans] who is to come Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined.
See my study on Daniel 9 at http://versebyversecommentary.com/2002/04/24/daniel-924/ .
