V.1 - “And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then
sent Jesus two disciples,”
In accordance with the Jewish law of observing the Passover, Jesus is nearing Jerusalem. Bethphage was positioned possibly on or near the Mount of Olives. The Mount of Olives is between Betheny and Jerusalem. Jesus was approaching Jerusalem from the southeast. He was now only about half a mile from the Temple. The Mount of Olives is prophesied in Zechariah 14:1-4. Furthermore, Messianic prophecy reveals that Christ will come from the east. Ezekiel 43:1-2 is a vision of the Temple upon the Second Coming of Christ. The east gate of the Temple faces the Mount of Olives. Furthermore, in Ezekiel 10, when the Lord’s glory left the Temple before Jerusalem's fall, it was from the east gate.

V.2- “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.”
First of all, this passage demonstrates how language has changed over time. While the term for a donkey has taken on a different meaning, one should be cautious when altering Biblical language to fit with modern times. If Bible students choose to exchange “ass” for a less controversial term, how long until “male and female” is exchanged for a less controversial term? By the way, this has already happened in the newest “Bible translations”.
Mark’s account of the Triumphant Entry (which is recorded in all four Gospels) notes that the colt has never been road. The village would have almost certainly been Bethphage. There is clearly an illustration of sanctification, as the colt was set aside for only the use of the Lord.

V.3- “And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will
send them.”
There are many instances in the Gospels where Jesus demonstrates his divine knowledge. Jesus not only knew the location of the colt, but he knew the man who owned the colt. For some reason, this colt had never been ridden. Perhaps the colt’s owner knew that it was to be used specifically for the Lord.
Why a donkey? There is some speculation and some references to Old Testament scripture. Some claim that riding a donkey was a sign of royalty. Rulers did ride donkeys at times. However, this is far from a concise answer. Another belief is that riding the colt of a donkey was a sign of peace. This does have some merit, as one would not ride this into battle. However, one should be careful when saying “This clearly means (fill in the blank).” We should affirm what scripture clearly affirms and we can cautiously speculate when scripture doesn’t outright give an answer.

VV.4&5- “All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, 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.”
This is a direct quote of Zechariah 9:9, once again Matthew affirms that Jesus of Nazareth is the true Messiah. Matthew wrote to an audience that believed the Old Testament. However, this can be important to keep in mind today. If people today reject the Old Testament, they will reject the New Testament as well. The challenge to the Jewish people was that the Messianic prophecies spoke both of Jesus’s earthly ministry and his coming as king. While we have the full revelation, it was not all revealed at this time. Therefore, the Jewish people ultimately rejected a humble servant who came from Nazareth. However, after his conversion, Paul was able to use the scriptures of the Old Testament to prove that Jesus was in fact the promised Christ.

VV.6&7- “And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, And brought the ass, and the colt, and put
on them their clothes, and they set him thereon.”
Placing the clothes upon the colt was likely a sign of respect. In 2 Kings chapter 9, Jehu sat upon clothes when he was appointed king over Israel. This would make it clear to those gathered in Jerusalem which person was Jesus.

V.8- “And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and
strawed them in the way.”
It is often believed that the multitude was the people in Jerusalem. However, in chapter 20, it was explained that a great multitude was traveling with Jesus. This is most likely the multitude seen here. The laying of garments was common practice for royalty. The waving of branches was common practice as well for celebration, rulers, and victory. Around 200 years earlier, the Jewish people entered Jerusalem waving branches after the Maccabean revolt. John specifically mentions that palm branches were waved. The branches could also have been a symbol of the Feast of Booths. The dedication of Solomon’s Temple and the return of the Israelites to rebuild the Temple, was during the Feast of Booths.

V.9- “And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David:
Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.”
Hosanna is a combination of two different Hebrew words. Yasha means “save” and ya means “now”. Yᵊhôšûaʿ is a combination of Yehova and yasha, meaning “God saves”. This is the name of Joshua and Jesus. This multitude that had traveled with him was publicly declaring him, before Jerusalem, as their king and the promised Messiah. The multitude was quoting from Psalm 118:25, which was a Messianic prophecy. There is no mistaking it, they were saying that Christ was here in Jerusalem and that’s him!

V.10- “And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this?”
From the background information, the evidence reveals that this crowd was beyond reasonable doubt to be not from Jerusalem, but likely from Galilee. These people would have witnessed the ministry, miracles, and teachings of Jesus. These people believed that Jesus was in fact the promised one. However, those who were in Jerusalem didn’t understand what the big deal was. On a handful of occasions, false messiahs had sprung up. The Jewish people were likely skeptical. After all, they haven’t seen the earth glowing with the glory of the Lord. The Mount of Olives didn’t split. So why should they believe that this is their Messiah? If only they would have considered all of the prophecies concerning the promised Christ.

V.11- “And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.”
The multitude described Jesus as “the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee”. At first, this may seem to somewhat contradict what they just said. Afterall, they identified him as the Son of David and now they are demoting him to prophet? To say someone is a prophet can refer to several important meanings. It communicates that the person is filled with the Holy Spirit of God. It also refers to a person being sent by God. For the Jewish people and even to this day, the Messiah would be of the line of David, a military leader, and a prophet on the level of Moses. Being a prophet would be a prerequisite! Let the multitude be an example for us, to boldly proclaim Jesus as the savior before all men!