Commentary - Matthew 21:1-11

Bird's-eye view

The Triumphal Entry is the formal presentation of the King to His capital city. This is not an impromptu parade that got out of hand; it is a calculated, prophetic, and deeply symbolic act. Jesus, having set His face toward Jerusalem, now orchestrates His own coronation procession. Every detail, from the requisitioning of the donkeys to the shouts of the crowd, is saturated with Old Testament significance. He is deliberately fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah, presenting Himself as the humble King who comes in peace. But this peace is not a soft, sentimental thing. It is the peace of a conquering monarch. This event is an audacious claim to be the Messiah, the Son of David, and it forces a decision upon the city of Jerusalem. The entry into the city is immediately followed by the cleansing of the Temple, and the two events must be seen as one continuous action. The King arrives, and the first thing He does is march into the central institution of the nation to assert His authority and clean house. This is the beginning of the end for the old covenant order and the formal inauguration of Passion Week, the week the world was saved.

The reaction of the crowds is exuberant and biblically literate, shouting phrases from Psalm 118, a messianic psalm. Their cry, "Hosanna," is a plea for salvation, an acknowledgment of their need for a deliverer. While their understanding was incomplete, their acclamation was genuine. This was not the same crowd that would later cry for His crucifixion; Jerusalem was a city of factions, and this was the welcome of the faithful remnant. The whole event stirs the city, forcing the question, "Who is this?" The answer given by the crowd, "This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth," is true, but it falls short of the full reality. He is a prophet, yes, but He is also the King, the Priest, and the God who has come to visit His people in judgment and salvation.

Outline

Context In Matthew

Matthew's Gospel is structured to present Jesus as the promised King, the new and greater David. The Triumphal Entry in chapter 21 is the dramatic culmination of this theme. After a long period of ministry in Galilee and the surrounding regions, Jesus now makes His final, public approach to Jerusalem, the city of the great king. This event marks a significant turning point. His ministry of teaching and healing is transitioning into His work as the sacrificial lamb who will take away the sin of the world. This chapter begins the final section of Matthew's Gospel, often called the Passion Narrative. Everything that follows, from the cleansing of the Temple, to the parables of judgment, to the woes against the Pharisees, to the Olivet Discourse, and finally to His arrest, trial, and crucifixion, flows directly from this royal entry. He enters as King, and because He is King, He has the authority to judge the corrupt temple system and to give His life as a ransom for His people.

Key Issues

The Interfering Savior

When the crowds shouted "Hosanna," they were crying out "Save us, now!" It is a petition wrapped up in a praise. They wanted a savior. We all want a savior. But we often want a savior on our own terms. We want a savior who will rescue us from our external problems but leave our internal arrangements alone. We want to greet him at the city gates with palm branches, but then politely ask him not to proceed up to the Temple where we have our own little money-making tables set up. But Jesus is not that kind of savior. He is the Savior who interferes. To welcome Him into the city of your life is to welcome Him to do whatever He intends to do there. He cannot be received in one of His offices and not the others. You cannot have Him as Savior if you reject Him as Lord. The Triumphal Entry and the Temple cleansing are a package deal. When you cry "Hosanna," you are giving Him permission to come in and flip over any and all tables that need flipping. And He knows which ones they are.

Verse by Verse Commentary

1-2 And when they had approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied there and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to Me.

The approach to Jerusalem is from the east, over the Mount of Olives, which gives a commanding view of the city and the Temple. This is a path laden with messianic significance. Jesus is in complete control of these events. He doesn't stumble into a parade; He initiates it. He sends two disciples with very specific, supernatural instructions. He knows exactly where the animals will be and that they will be tied. This is not a lucky guess; it is the foreknowledge of the sovereign Lord. He is requisitioning His royal mount. The presence of both a donkey and her colt is significant, showing the gentleness of the scene and fulfilling the prophecy with meticulous care.

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

This is a statement of quiet, absolute authority. "The Lord has need of them." The title "the Lord" (ho kurios) is a clear claim to deity and sovereignty. Jesus is not asking to borrow the donkeys; He is commandeering them by royal prerogative. All the beasts of the field are His, and the cattle on a thousand hills. The fact that the owner complies immediately shows the irresistible authority in Jesus' word, even when delivered by His disciples. The owner may well have been a disciple, but the text presents it as a simple exercise of Christ's kingly right.

4-5 And this took place in order that what was spoken through the prophet would be fulfilled, saying, “SAY TO THE DAUGHTER OF ZION, ‘BEHOLD YOUR KING IS COMING TO YOU, LOWLY, AND MOUNTED ON A DONKEY, AND ON A COLT, THE FOAL OF A PACK ANIMAL.’ ”

Matthew, as he does throughout his Gospel, explicitly connects Jesus' actions to Old Testament prophecy. This is a direct quotation from Zechariah 9:9. Jesus is not just accidentally fulfilling Scripture; He is consciously and deliberately enacting it. He is the King, and He is coming to Zion, the covenant name for Jerusalem. But He comes in a particular way: lowly. His kingship is not like that of the pagan warlords who ride on mighty warhorses. He rides a donkey, an animal of peace and humility. This was not an embarrassing mode of transport; Solomon rode a mule for his coronation (1 Kings 1:33). It signifies a king who comes not to conquer by force of arms, but by self-sacrificial love. The humility is in His character, not a lack of authority.

6-7 And the disciples went and did just as Jesus had instructed them, and brought the donkey and the colt, and laid their garments on them; and He sat on the garments.

The disciples' obedience is simple and direct. They do exactly as they were told. Their act of laying their cloaks on the animals is an act of homage. It turns a common beast of burden into a royal throne. This was a spontaneous gesture of honor, similar to how the people honored Jehu at his coronation (2 Kings 9:13). Jesus accepts this worship. He sits on the garments, taking His place as the enthroned King. Matthew's mention of both animals has led to some confusion, but it is likely Jesus rode the younger, unbroken colt, with its mother alongside to keep it calm, thus fulfilling the prophecy in its fullness.

8 And most of the crowd spread their garments in the road, and others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them in the road.

The disciples' act of homage is contagious. The crowd, a great multitude of Passover pilgrims, joins in. Spreading garments in the path of an approaching king was a known sign of submission and honor in the ancient world. It was an improvised red carpet. The cutting of branches, which John's Gospel identifies as palm branches, was also a symbol of victory and celebration. They are giving Jesus a conqueror's welcome. They are acknowledging Him as their rightful King.

9 And the crowds going ahead of Him, and those who followed, were crying out, saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David; BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD; Hosanna in the highest!”

The shouts of the crowd are not random. They are quoting directly from Psalm 118:25-26, a psalm sung during great national festivals that celebrated God's deliverance. "Hosanna" is a transliteration of a Hebrew phrase that means "Save, we pray!" or "O Lord, save us!" It is a cry for deliverance addressed to God, but here it is directed at Jesus. By hailing Him as the "Son of David," they are explicitly identifying Him with the long-awaited Messiah, the heir to David's throne. "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord" is a welcome for God's chosen representative. And "Hosanna in the highest" is a prayer for this salvation to be ratified in the highest heavens. This was a biblically literate crowd, and they knew exactly what they were saying.

10 And when He had entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, “Who is this?”

The procession makes its intended impact. The entire city is shaken, stirred up. The Greek word eseisthē is the word for an earthquake. This was a political and spiritual earthquake. The arrival of this Nazarene prophet with a massive, shouting crowd forces the capital to take notice. The question "Who is this?" hangs in the air. It is the central question of Matthew's Gospel and, indeed, of all human history. The city's establishment, the priests, the scribes, the Romans, is confronted with a direct challenge to its authority. A king has arrived.

11 And the crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee.”

The crowd provides the initial answer. Their answer is not wrong, but it is incomplete. He certainly is the prophet Jesus. Calling Him "from Nazareth in Galilee" identifies Him to the Jerusalem elites as this popular, controversial figure from the north. But the shouts of "Son of David" show that at least some in the crowd understood He was far more than just a prophet. The insufficiency of this popular identification highlights the need for the events of the coming week, which would reveal His true identity in the most shocking way imaginable: not just as prophet and king, but as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

Application

The Triumphal Entry demands a response from us, just as it did from Jerusalem. The central question, "Who is this?" is put to every generation and to every individual. Is Jesus a mere prophet, a good teacher, a historical figure? Or is He the Son of David, the King who comes in the name of the Lord?

If He is the King, then we are called to welcome Him as such. This means more than a sentimental nod on Palm Sunday. It means laying our cloaks down before Him, a symbol of yielding our all to His authority. It means spreading our lives out as a roadway for His purposes. It means joining the cry of "Hosanna," acknowledging that we are sinners in desperate need of salvation, and that He alone is the one who can provide it. We must recognize that He comes in humility, not as a political strongman to fix our earthly problems on our terms, but as a suffering servant to deal with our deepest problem, which is our sin.

And when we welcome this King, we must be prepared for Him to ride straight past the city gates and up to the Temple of our hearts. He comes to cleanse, to overturn the tables of our self-righteousness, our hidden idols, and our compromises with the world. Welcoming the King is a dangerous business, because it means surrendering control. But it is the only path to true salvation. We must either hail Him as King or, like the city's authorities, begin plotting how to get rid of Him. There is no middle ground.