Matthew 21:1-5
Mat 21:1 (KJB)
And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the
mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples,
Jesus and His disciples had now come near to Jerusalem. Bethphage was about 1
mile from Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives was a little closer about 5/8 of a
mile which was a Sabbath Day’s journey. Bethphage was on the eastern slope of
the Mount of Olives. The name “Bethphage” means “House of Unripe Figs.” Jesus
had arrived six days before the Passover on Friday. (John 12:1 KJV) Then
Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had
been dead, whom he raised from the dead. Once they were on the Mount of
Olives, Jesus then dispatched two of His disciples.
Mat 21:2 (KJB)
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.
Jesus sent them into the village of Bethphage and when they enter into the city,
they will immediately find an ass and her colt. They were not to separate the
two but were to untie them and bring them to Jesus. This also shows us of the
omniscience of Jesus because He knew where the colt was and the fact that there
were two of them together, one being the mother and the other the colt.
Mat 21:3 (KJB)
And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and
straightway he will send them.
It would have been normal for the owner of the animals to object and Jesus knew
there would be an objection because the owner would not know if they were being
stolen. Jesus told them exactly what to say, that the Lord had need of them and
then he would allow them to be taken. This man must have been a disciple of
Jesus because he allowed them to go with the other disciples. Jesus knew many
people in and around the Bethany and Bethphage area. This is also a spiritual
lesson for the believer that we are to preach and teach what is written in the
Bible and not make up our own gospel to preach. (2 Cor 5:20 KJV) Now then we
are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in
Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. We are ambassadors for Christ and
an ambassador represents his government. They do not make policy instead they
convey the exact stance of a government without any variance. If the Bible
speaks about Hell, then we are not omit those teachings. We bring the message
whether it is popular or not.
Mat 21:4 (KJB)
All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet,
saying,
Everything that Jesus did in His life was the fulfillment of some Scripture
which was prophesied many years before. Nothing was done randomly. In this case,
the event was prophesied by the prophet Zechariah. Zechariah prophesied about
500 years before Christ during the reign of Darius and he was a contemporary of
Haggai. (Ezra 5:1 KJV) Then the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah
the son of Iddo, prophesied unto the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem in
the name of the God of Israel, even unto them.
Mat 21:5 (KJB)
Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and
sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.
(Zec 9:9 KJV) Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of
Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation;
lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass. All the
kings of the world ride in gold chariots or are carried by slaves wherever they
go but the Lord Jesus came into Jerusalem as the humble king. He brought
salvation and ruled with peace which was far from the type of Messiah the
political zealots had desired.