What does Luke 19:34 mean?

Two of Jesus' disciples are in a village east of Jerusalem. Jesus has sent them there to find a donkey and her foal (Matthew 21:2) and bring them back to Him. He told them that if anyone asked what they were doing, they were to say, "The Lord has need of it" (Luke 19:29–31). So that's what they do.

Jesus chooses to ride a donkey colt to fulfill Zechariah 9:9: "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey." Conquering warriors would arrive on war horses, as a modern victor might sit in a tank or armored transport. Kings who came in peace came on donkeys (1 Kings 1:33). Jesus entering Jerusalem on a donkey is His declaration that He is King. The disciples won't understand the symbolism until after Jesus is resurrected (John 12:16).

"Lord," here, is from the Greek root word kyrios. It means "sir" or "master." The disciples anticipate that Jesus will be king—much sooner than it will actually happen—but they don't understand Him as Lord and Savior yet. From the point of view of the owners, these are servants of someone in authority who needs the donkeys.

We don't know why the owners acquiesce. Some think Jesus had gone to the village earlier and spoken to them. That may be why the donkeys are waiting in the street, ready to go (Mark 11:4). Maybe the culture is such that loaning out animals is normal. Maybe they had heard of Jesus, His miracles, and His teaching. Or maybe the Holy Spirit worked in them to give the animals to strangers. We don't really know.