Albert Barnes Commentary Matthew 21:2

"saying unto them, Go into the village that is over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose [them], and bring [them] unto me." — Matthew 21:2 (ASV)

Go into the village opposite you. The village meant here was not far from Bethany, and about two miles east of Jerusalem (Mark and Luke). He had lodged at Bethphage (Bethany) the night before, and in the morning sent his disciples to the village opposite them; that is, to Bethany (Bethphage), John 12:1–12.

Ye shall find an ass tied, etc. In Judea there were few horses, and those were chiefly used in war. Men seldom employed them in common life and in ordinary journeys. The ass, the mule, and the camel are still most used in eastern countries. To ride on a horse was sometimes an emblem of war; on a mule and an ass, the emblem of peace. Kings and princes commonly rode on them in times of peace; and it is mentioned as a mark of rank and dignity to ride in that manner (Judges 10:4; Judges 12:14; 1 Samuel 25:20).

So Solomon, when he was inaugurated as king, rode on a mule (1 Kings 1:33). Riding in this manner, then, denoted neither poverty nor degradation, but was the appropriate way in which a king should ride, and in which, therefore, the King of Zion should enter into his capital—the city of Jerusalem.

Mark and Luke say that he told them they should find a colt tied. This they were directed to bring. They mention only the colt, because it was this on which he rode.