Matthew 21:7 - Printer Friendly

ESV: They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them.

NIV: They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on.

NASB: and brought the donkey and the colt, and laid their cloaks on them; and He sat on the cloaks.

CSB: They brought the donkey and its foal; then they laid their clothes on them, and he sat on them.

NLT: They brought the donkey and the colt to him and threw their garments over the colt, and he sat on it.

KJV: And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon.

NKJV: They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.

It may appear awkward that after walking all the way from Galilee, including the long walk uphill from Jericho to the Mount of Olives and Jerusalem, Jesus would suddenly direct His disciples to get Him a donkey so that He could ride the last mile into Jerusalem. However, Jesus was not tired. He had very specific reason for wanting to enter the city this way (Matthew 21:5). Jesus was delivering what Bible scholars call an "acted parable," demonstrating with His actions instead of using a story to reveal that He is the Messiah.

Many Israelites knew the Scriptures well. After enduring Roman occupation, they were especially familiar with passages that promised the coming of the Messiah to rule and reign over Israel. They knew Zechariah's prophecy addressed to the "daughter of Zion," another name for the city of Jerusalem: "Your king is coming to you…humble, and mounted on a donkey" (Zechariah 9:9). Jesus is intentionally entering the city in this way as a clear statement that He is the Messiah, the promised king. The prophecy not only identifies Messiah, it refers to the nature of His arrival: donkeys are not military animals. Rather than arriving on a horse—as He will in His second, conquering arrival (Revelation 19:11)—Christ will present Himself in a manner of peace.

Most English translations for this verse read a bit awkwardly. The disciples brought the two animals and "put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them." The second "them" means the cloaks, not the donkeys. Jesus did not sit on both the mother donkey and the colt at the same time. He sat on the colt to fulfill Zechariah's words. The disciples put their outer cloaks over the animal so Jesus—and the animal—would be more comfortable.

Mark and Luke don't mention the mother donkey, but they do mention that nobody had ever sat on this colt before (Mark 11:2; Luke 19:30).

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.