Matthew 21:2 - Printer Friendly

ESV: saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me.

NIV: saying to them, 'Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me.

NASB: saying to them, 'Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied there and a colt with it. Untie them and bring them to Me.

CSB: telling them, "Go into the village ahead of you. At once you will find a donkey tied there with her colt. Untie them and bring them to me.

NLT: Go into the village over there,' he said. 'As soon as you enter it, you will see a donkey tied there, with its colt beside it. Untie them and bring them to me.

KJV: Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me.

NKJV: 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 and His disciples have been travelling from Galilee to Jerusalem and are now about a mile away. Jesus is sending two of the disciples into a nearby village. He tells them they will find a donkey that is tied up and waiting for them, along with its young colt. They are to untie the animals and bring them to Jesus. Mark's account mentions that the disciples will bring the animal back (Mark 11:3). Some suggest the donkey's owner might have been there to see Jesus' resurrection of Lazarus in Bethany (John 11:44–45), which happened the day before (John 12:12–13), and was anticipating the request.

However it happened, Matthew is indicating that Jesus has prearranged to have these animals waiting for Him. He specifically intends to ride them into Jerusalem as He arrives there. At least one reason for this is to intentionally fulfill a Messianic prophecy from Zechariah (Zechariah 9:9) that Matthew will reference later (Matthew 21:5). Commentators describe this as an "acted parable" in which Jesus is revealing His identity as the Messiah.

The imagery of a donkey is important, since they are only suitable for work, not for war. A conquering general might enter town on a horse, but Messiah's first public proclamation will not be associated with conquest.

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.