Matthew 21:3 - Printer Friendly

ESV: If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once."

NIV: If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away."

NASB: And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them on immediately.'

CSB: If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them at once."

NLT: If anyone asks what you are doing, just say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will immediately let you take them.'

KJV: And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them.

NKJV: And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.”

Jesus is sending two of the disciples into a nearby village. Upon entering the village, they will immediately find a donkey tied up, along with her young colt. They are to bring the pair of animals to Jesus. He will ride into Jerusalem instead of continuing to walk (Matthew 21:1–2).

Now Jesus prepares the two disciples with an answer for anyone who might ask why they are taking away the donkey and the colt. The disciples should say, "The Lord needs them." He then assures them that anyone asking about the situation will understand and send the disciples on their way. It's been suggested the donkeys' owner might have been one of those who saw Jesus raise Lazarus (John 11:44–45; 12:12–13) and has already been asked to provide the animals.

Who does Jesus mean by "Lord"? Matthew, Mark, and Luke all quote Him as using the word. Most commentators agree that He is talking about Himself, specifically, and not about the Lord God—Yahweh—in a wider sense. As Jesus nears Jerusalem and His crucifixion, He is becoming more and more open about who exactly He is. He has stopped telling those He heals not to reveal what happened to them. Now He specifically tells His disciples to describe Him to others as "the Lord." Earlier moments were too soon for this proclamation, but this is "the hour" (John 2:4; 7:8) when it was meant to happen.

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.

Matthew 21 finds Jesus arriving near Jerusalem after leaving Jericho in the previous chapter. His triumphal entry is accomplished riding a donkey, and to raucous praise, fulfilling a prophecy about the Messiah. Jesus cleanses the marketplace from the temple, heals, and presents lessons about faith and Israel's failed leadership. This leads into further conversations which Matthew compiles from Jesus' interactions with the Pharisees.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.