What does Matthew 21:6 mean?
Jesus and His disciples have nearly reached Jerusalem. Jesus has directed two of the twelve to walk into a village nearby, untie a donkey and her colt they will find waiting there, and bring the animals to Him. He has told them what to say if anyone questions them: The Lord needs these animals (Matthew 21:1–5).The two disciples do exactly as Jesus asked, apparently without questioning Him. The twelve have often showed they did not fully understand Jesus' words or His mission. They have revealed selfish pride and ambition in fighting among themselves. Jesus has even described them as having little faith, at times (Matthew 8:26). However, the disciples have always been pictured as faithful and obedient servants to the Lord, ready and willing to carry out His commands (Matthew 19:27). For three years, they have done as He asks even when they didn't understand the reasons behind His instructions.
Their loyalty and faithfulness to Him will be severely tested in the coming week, however (Matthew 17:22–23).
Matthew 21:1–11 follows Jesus on His final, "triumphal" entry into Jerusalem. He rides on a donkey for the final mile or so to intentionally fulfill a prophecy from Zechariah about the king arriving in Jerusalem. The crowds praise Him as the Messiah, lining His path with branches and their cloaks. They shout out, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" and "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" as seen in Psalm 118. The event we now call Palm Sunday stirs up Jerusalem with many people asking who Jesus is.
Jesus fulfills a prophecy from Zechariah about the coming of the king to Jerusalem by riding in on a donkey. The people celebrate and praise Him as the Messiah. Jesus drives the marketers and moneychangers out of the temple and heals some people. He curses a fig tree and tells the disciples nothing will be impossible for them with faith. Jesus forces cowardly and hypocritical religious leaders to back down with a question about John the Baptist. He then exposes their fraudulent spirituality with two parables about vineyards. Jesus applies to Himself a psalm about a rejected stone being made the cornerstone by the Lord.
