John Calvin Commentary Matthew 21:5

"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 21:5 (ASV)

Say to the daughter of Zion. This is not found, word for word, in Zechariah; but what God commanded one Prophet to proclaim, the Evangelist justly and appropriately applies to all godly teachers; for the only hope on which the children of God should both build and rely was that the Redeemer would eventually come.

Accordingly, the Prophet shows that the coming of Christ yields to believers a full and complete ground of joy. For since God is not reconciled to them in any other way than through the agency of the Mediator, and as it is the same Mediator who delivers His people from all evils, what can there be, apart from Him, that is suited to cheer people ruined by their sins and oppressed by troubles?

And as we must be completely overwhelmed with grief when Christ is absent, so on the other hand, the Prophet reminds believers that when the Redeemer is present with them, they should be perfectly joyful.

Now though He bestows on Christ other commendations — namely, that He is just, and having salvation — Matthew has taken but a single portion, which suited his purpose: that Christ will come, poor or meek; or in other words, that He will be unlike earthly kings, whose apparel is very magnificent and costly.

Another mark of poverty is added: that He will ride on an ass, or the foal of an ass; for there can be no doubt that the manner of riding which belongs to the common people is contrasted with royal splendor.