Luke 19:30, commentary and pictures

On the first day of the week as Jesus resumed the short journey from Bethany to Jerusalem for the Passover, He sent two disciples into the village opposite them to find a tied colt on which no man had ever sat, untie it, and bring it to Him for His ride. His exact knowledge of its place and condition shows His divinity, while His use of another's animal shows His humble circumstances. In riding it He followed the custom for a royal entry and fulfilled Zechariah's prophecy of the coming humble King, presenting Himself publicly as Israel's Messiah, the promised heir to David's throne and King of Glory. Unlike earthly conquerors with mourning captives, He was surrounded by living trophies of love — Lazarus raised from the dead leading the colt, the blind, the dumb, cripples, lepers, widows and orphans — while the crowd spread garments and palm branches and cried Hosanna to the Son of David. The disciples and people took this as hope that He would now claim an earthly throne, free the nation from Rome, and assert royal power, but within days those hopes were shattered at the cross, and the ride that began in triumph led directly to His weeping over the devoted city and His dying for sinful men that they might come to the fountain of living waters and walk in the light toward heaven.

Command and Its Setting

Jesus sent two disciples into the village opposite them to find a tied colt, untie it, and bring it to Him for His journey into Jerusalem at the Passover feast. The colt was for Him to ride on that journey into the city during the feast.

The sending took place on the first day of the week as He resumed the short journey from Bethany to Jerusalem to keep the Passover, accompanied by multitudes. He had always chosen to travel that short distance on foot. It was a beautiful season when many people had gathered for the feast, and the crowd was eager to see Him and to witness His entry because the raising of Lazarus had stirred them.

The animal was a colt, the foal of an ass, tied up where they would find it upon entering, on which no man had ever sat or ridden. This unused colt was the one He selected for His ride into Jerusalem. The disciples brought it, placed their garments upon it, and set Him upon it.

His precise directions about the colt's place and condition reveal His divinity, while His reliance on another's animal for a mount shows His humble circumstances. The command opens His triumphal ride on the donkey amid a celebrating crowd, as the Passover crowd welcomed Him as Messiah and King. His knowledge of the details was fulfilled when the disciples found it as directed.

The disciples were puzzled why He now preferred to ride instead of going on foot as before. Yet they took the command as hope that He was about to enter the capital to proclaim Himself King of the Jews and assert His royal power. They shared that expectation with His friends while on their errand, so excitement spread far and near and raised the hopes and expectations of the people to the highest pitch.

Humble King Fulfills Prophecy

Riding the colt followed the custom for a royal entry and presented Him publicly as Israel's King, the promised heir to David's throne, the Messiah and King of Glory. The disciples placed Him upon the colt no one had ever ridden as the people welcomed Him with royal homage acclaiming Him as Messiah and King. The act fulfilled the prophecy of the coming humble King riding on a colt, as foretold by Zechariah, for prophecy must be fulfilled in this entry. The disciples rejoiced and praised God with blessing on their lips as they repeated the healings, the raisings of the dead, and all the mighty works they had seen, and when priests and elders told Him to still the multitude He declared that if they held their peace even the stones would cry out.

Unlike the triumphal processions of earthly conquerors, His procession was humble and had no mourning captives as trophies but living trophies of love around Him. The colt was led by Lazarus raised from corruption in the grave to full manhood, while the blind He gave sight to, the dumb whose tongues He loosed shouting the loudest hosannas, the cripples He healed breaking and waving palm branches, widows and orphans, cleansed lepers spreading garments in the path, and others awakened from death praised God for deliverance and hailed Him as King of Glory.

The people welcomed Him with royal homage as Messiah and King, spreading garments and leafy branches in His path, waving palm branches as signs of victory, and crying Hosanna to the Son of David, while people flocked from all the region about. The crowd spread garments and branches before Him as the Passover crowd welcomed Him. He accepted this public homage, which His disciples took as a sign that their hopes of His being acknowledged as Israel's king would soon be fulfilled and His kingship would soon be acknowledged.

The crowd and disciples mistakenly took the ride as a sign He would then claim an earthly throne, be crowned king, establish an earthly kingdom, and free the nation from Roman rule and its oppressors, thinking He was coming to take David's throne and reign on David's throne. The disciples wrongly expected Him to take an earthly kingdom at that time and to have His kingship recognized on earth. Within days those hopes were shattered and turned to grief and darkness when they saw their beloved Master stretched upon the cruel cross above the mocking, taunting Pharisees, with the darkness of death closing about them. By choosing the unridden colt He fulfilled the prophetic pattern of the Messiah entering as King, though the disciples mistakenly took His ride as a sign that He would claim an earthly throne.

Rejection Warns and Appeals

The sending for the colt sets in motion the ride into Jerusalem that leads directly to His weeping over the devoted city from the crest of Olivet. That weeping belongs to the entry as a solemn event within it. In it His mercy and love are shown rejected by the city. His tears over Jerusalem looked beyond its destruction to an impenitent world doomed to destruction.

The same entry points to His dying for sinful man so that he might not perish in his sins. It therefore calls sinners to come to the fountain of living waters. It calls them to see and obey the truth, and to advance step by step walking in the light as He is in the light, going forward and upward toward heaven with truth and duty engaging their attention. Though the high hopes raised by the triumphal ride were disappointed when the disciples saw their Master on the cruel cross amid mocking Pharisees, He remains true to His promises. He gives sweet consolation to His people and a rich reward to the true and faithful.