Charles Spurgeon Commentary Matthew 21:4-5

"Now this is come to pass, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, Meek, and riding upon an ass, And upon a colt the foal of an ass." — Matthew 21:4-5 (ASV)

Matthew is always reminding us of the Old Testament—and well he may, for our Lord is always fulfilling it. Every point of detail is according to the prophetic model: All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet. The Old and New Testaments dovetail into each other. Men have written "Harmonies of the Gospels"; but God has given us a Harmony of the Old and New Testament. The passage referred to is in Zechariah 9:9.

It represents Zion's King as meek and lowly even in the hour of his triumphant entrance to his metropolis, riding, not upon a war-horse, but upon a young ass, on which no man had sat. He had before said of himself, I am meek and lowly in heart, and now he gives one more proof of the truth of his own words; and, at the same time of the fulfillment of prophecy: Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy king cometh unto thee, meek and sitting upon an ass.

He did not, like Solomon, fetch horses out of Egypt to minister to his pride; but he who was greater than Solomon was content with a colt the foal of an ass, and even that humble creature was borrowed, for he had none of his own. The tenderness of Jesus comes out in the fact of his having the ass brought with her foal that they might not be parted. He was, as a King, all gentleness and mercy: his grandeur involved no pain, even for the humblest living thing. How blessed is it for us to be ruled by such a King!

Matthew is always reminding us of the Old Testament, and rightly so, for our Lord is always fulfilling it. Every point of detail is according to prophetic model. All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet.

The Old and New Testaments dovetail into each other. Men have written “Harmonies of the Gospels,” but God has given us a Harmony of the Old and New Testament.

The passage referred to is in Zechariah 9:9. It represents Zion’s King as meek and lowly, even in the hour of His triumphant entrance into His metropolis, riding not on a war-horse, but on a young ass, on which no one had sat. He had previously said of Himself, I am meek and lowly in heart, and now He gives one more proof of the truth of His own words and, at the same time, of the fulfillment of prophecy: Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek and sitting upon an ass.

He did not, like Solomon, bring horses from Egypt to serve His pride, but He who was greater than Solomon was content with a colt the foal of an ass, and even that humble creature was borrowed, for He had none of His own. The tenderness of Jesus is evident in His having the ass brought with her foal so that they might not be parted. He was, as a King, all gentleness and mercy. His grandeur involved no pain, even for the humblest living thing. How blessed it is for us to be ruled by such a King!