Matthew 21:1-11 The Donkeys’ Prophecy
Format for Your Devotions
Instructions: Do not read my example devotion until you have completed your own devotional time in the scriptures. Reading my thoughts first may limit your own understanding. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you alone before looking to see what anyone else has to say, whether it is me, a Bible commentary, or a friend. Let God speak to you before you let another person speak to you. I have provided a format, but modify it to fit your needs. For example, I usually combine my application and prayer together talking to God about the application to my own life. You can go through this devotion process mentally, speaking out loud, or in writing as you wish. Don’t worry if you are not following this process exactly. Sometimes, I add extra information and sometimes I emphasize one part more than others. However, you should always think about what you learn about God from this passage.
Step 1: Pray–Ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance first of all and that God may reveal the lessons that He wants you to have that day. Request that God protect you from Satan’s distractions (and the devil will try to distract you whether it is pinching the baby or putting you to sleep). Ask to see God more clearly as you read and think about the passage.
Step 2: Read the passage–Read to get an overview of the information first. Then start looking at specific parts after the first reading. You may read a larger or smaller section than I have here because you do not have to follow my organization at all.
Step 3: Understand the passage–You can summarize, ask and answer your own questions about the passage, visualize the story, analyze the characters, and relate this passage to other scriptures and personal experiences.
Step 4: What does this reveal about God?–What do you learn about the Father, Son, and/or Holy Spirit from this passage?
Step 5: Apply this to your own life.
Step 6: Prayer
My Example Devotion: June 6, 2019 Matthew 21:1-11
Note: In the devotion examples, I leave my questions and thought processes in the text because I am trying to demonstrate that a devotional time is a dialogue with God about what you are reading from His word. As such, any questions or ideas that you have should be explored by talking it out with God. These example devotions are not my attempts to teach you what the meaning of a particular scripture is. They are an attempt to teach you the process of devotions, which is a combination of prayer and Bible study where you explore ideas with God as you read His word.
Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’” The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”
(Understanding the Text) They left Jericho with a large crowd following them. This was partly composed of the many people who had been drawn to Jesus, but it was also the large crowd of pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem for the Passover celebration. These people were strangers to Jerusalem, not natives of the city, so when the residents of Jerusalem heard the big commotion, they asked who it was that was coming. The crowd responded that Jesus was a prophet. If the Sanhedrin thought that Jesus was only a prophet, they may not have worried about repercussions for killing Him. After all, Israel had killed its prophets again and again over the centuries, and God just kept sending more. They may have reasoned that they were already in captivity, so what more could God do? They probably never thought that this was their last chance. If they did not accept this Prophet, their nation was finished being the people of God. It is when we begin to take our condition for granted that we don’t recognize when we have reached a breaking point where our choices are final.
Once the crowd reached Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, just outside of Jerusalem, something changed. Jesus stopped and consulted with two of His disciples, who left while the others just sat down and waited. Those of the crowd who were pilgrims probably considered going on into Jerusalem, but chose to wait to see what Jesus would do. They sensed that they were part of something big, so they sat down and rested also. Within twenty minutes, they saw the two disciples returning leading donkeys. The crowd knew their prophecy. They knew what was happening. Jesus was about to proclaim Himself the Messiah. This was the triumphal march that declared Jesus the King of the Jews.
(Revelation of God) Jesus knew exactly what He was doing with this event. He knew He was challenging the leaders of Israel to make a decision that would seal their fate. His fate was already sealed. It had been sealed before the creation of the earth. As a human, He had known that this day was coming since He was twelve years old watching the sacrifices in the temple. For about twenty years, He had studied the scriptures and received instruction from the Father through the Spirit about this mission. He had consulted with Moses and Elijah about the mission. Everything that could be prepared had been prepared. Now the preparations were finished, and the final acts of the drama that would lead to His victory and conversely, His separation from the Father were in progress. Jericho was past, and Jerusalem was before Him.
(Understanding the Text) This event forced the Sanhedrin to take action. They could not ignore it. Jesus was declaring Himself not only the Messiah, but also royalty as the King of the Jews. They were faced with a dilemma because He had a lot of support in the city from the pilgrims from outside of Jerusalem, who looked with suspicion on the corrupt religious leaders and were ready for revolution. Thus, the Sanhedrin were forced to tolerate Jesus in public while plotting to arrest Him as soon as the Passover was finished, and His support from outside of Jerusalem dried up.
Matthew once again wants to tell people that this was the fulfillment of prophecy. He quotes Zechariah 9:9 to say that this event was predicted and to give another proof that Jesus was the Messiah. That prophecy in full says “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall speak peace to the nations; his rule shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth. As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit. Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope; today I declare that I will restore to you double. For I have bent Judah as my bow; I have made Ephraim its arrow. I will stir up your sons, O Zion, against your sons, O Greece, and wield you like a warrior’s sword. Then the LORD will appear over them, and his arrow will go forth like lightning; the Lord GOD will sound the trumpet and will march forth in the whirlwinds of the south. The LORD of hosts will protect them, and they shall devour, and tread down the sling stones, and they shall drink and roar as if drunk with wine, and be full like a bowl, drenched like the corners of the altar. On that day the LORD their God will save them, as the flock of his people; for like the jewels of a crown they shall shine on his land. For how great is his goodness, and how great his beauty! Grain shall make the young men flourish, and new wine the young women” (Zechariah 9:9-17).
In the next verses after the prophecy about the donkey, Zechariah speaks of finishing all manner of war from the people of God. From that point on, God’s people would speak of peace to the rest of the world. Israel took this to mean that they would be powerful and rule the other nations, but instead it meant that military force would no longer be a method of spreading knowledge of Yahweh. It says that his rule would be from sea to sea and to the ends of the earth. Israel thought that this meant an earthly political kingdom, but God’s idea was that He would have people in all the earth. This is what Jesus was speaking of when He said for the disciples to go and make disciples in all nations. Jesus’ blood sets prisoners free and tells them to return to Him. He is the stronghold and hope. He will restore double to us whatever we have lost. Jesus took the disciples that He had molded and the Jews who would accept Him, and He aimed them directly at Hellenistic culture. He used them in a war of ideas, and He won, but the battle was not finished because the Greek ideas resurged and corrupted the church. Now the church is being purified again to go forth against the sons of Greece in war. God does not promise a military victory. He promises protection so that when the stones come hurling at His people from the slings, the stones will fall harmlessly away, and the people will simply step on them as they travel forward. It says that the people of God will devour, which has the idea that nothing will stand in their way. It says that we will be full and drunk and roar, and then the passage associates that with the corners of the altar. In other words, Jesus’ blood and redemption will fill us so that we feel powerful and drunk with Him. It speaks of Jesus’ second coming with a trumpet and an arrow like lightning. It says that Jesus will save His flock and that we will be the jewels of His crown to those around who see us. It extols Jesus’ beauty. Thus, our power comes from seeing Jesus’ beauty. The bread and wine are what will make us flourish. The bread and wine symbolize communion with Jesus. It is abiding with Him that will make us flourish.
The donkey begins Zechariah’s prophecy. The horns of the altar are in the middle, and the victory achieved through Jesus comes with it. Jesus’ second triumphal entry brings salvation. It’s all there in Zechariah, but it is unclear until you know what Jesus did. Suddenly, the mystery of Zechariah begins to make sense. The Jews were looking at Zechariah from the perspective of the present and interpreting the past through the lens of the present. Thus, the future was also viewed from the lens of the present.
(Application / Prayer) I pray that I will look at the Bible and You and life itself through the lens of the Spirit rather than the lens of the Greece. I pray that I will see clearly rather than through the blurred and distorted focus of worldly ideas from the present and past. Help me to see You clearly. I pray to become drunk and flourish with the knowledge of Your beauty.