The Triumphal Entry

When Jesus and his disciples drew near to Jerusalem and reached Bethphage at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples ahead to a village. He instructed them to find a donkey tied there and a colt with her, and to untie them and bring them to him. He stated that if anyone said anything to them, they should say the Lord had need of them and would send them back immediately. This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet regarding the King coming to Zion, humble and mounted on a donkey and a colt (Matthew 21:1-5).

The disciples followed these instructions and brought the donkey and the colt. They placed their cloaks on the animals, and Jesus sat on them. A very large crowd spread their own cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the path. The text does not say how many people were present, but it records that the crowds that went before him and those that followed him shouted, 'Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!' (Matthew 21:6-9).

As Jesus entered Jerusalem, the text states that the entire city was moved. The inhabitants asked who he was. The crowds identified him by saying, 'This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.' The text does not say where Jesus went immediately after this identification or what the specific reactions of the city leaders were in this specific passage (Matthew 21:10-11).