Mark 11
Jesus enters Jerusalem
And when they came nigh to Jerusalem, unto Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount of Olives, he sendeth forth two of his disciples, And saith unto them, Go your way into the village over against you: and as soon as ye be entered into it, ye shall find a colt tied, whereon never man sat; loose him, and bring him. And if any man say unto you, Why do ye this? say ye that the Lord hath need of him; and straightway he will send him hither. And they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door without in a place where two ways met; and they loose him. And certain of them that stood there said unto them, What do ye, loosing the colt? And they said unto them even as Jesus had commanded: and they let them go. And they brought the colt to Jesus, and cast their garments on him; and he sat upon him. And many spread their garments in the way: and others cut down branches off the trees, and strawed them in the way. And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord: Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest. And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve.
Approaching Jerusalem by the Mount of Olives, Jesus sends two disciples to fetch a young donkey no one has ridden. He rides it toward the city as people spread cloaks and branches on the road and shout 'Hosanna!' He enters the temple, looks around at everything, and, as it is late, goes out to Bethany with the Twelve.
What does this mean?
A 'colt' (KJV) is a young donkey. 'Hosanna' comes from Hebrew, originally 'save, please!' (Psalm 118:25), and had become a shout of praise. 'Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord' is from Psalm 118:26, a psalm sung by festival pilgrims. 'Strawed' means scattered.
Historical context
Bethphage and Bethany were villages on the eastern slopes of the Mount of Olives, which overlooks the temple from the east. Jerusalem filled with pilgrims at Passover, and the Roman governor came up from Caesarea with troops to keep order. Spreading garments before someone was a gesture of homage to a king (2 Kings 9:13).
Why does it matter?
Riding a donkey recalls Zechariah 9:9, which pictures a humble king coming to Jerusalem. The low-key ending — Jesus inspects the temple and leaves — sets up the next day's action there.
Editorial notes, not scripture.
Told in all four Gospels
Matthew 21:1–11
The entry into Jerusalem
How Matthew tells it
Only Matthew has two animals, a donkey and her colt, matching his quotation of Zechariah, and only he describes the whole city 'stirred' and asking 'Who is this?'. Luke has Pharisees urge Jesus to rebuke his disciples; John mentions palm branches and says the crowd came because of the raising of Lazarus.
Continue reading in Matthew →Luke 19:28–40
Jesus enters Jerusalem
How Luke tells it
Luke has no palm or leafy branches and no "Hosanna." The praise comes from "the whole multitude of the disciples" for the miracles they had seen, and, as in John, they call Jesus "the King" outright. Only Luke has the Pharisees ask Jesus to rebuke his disciples, and his reply about the stones crying out.
Continue reading in Luke →John 12:12–19
Jesus enters Jerusalem
How John tells it
Only John mentions palm branches, and he says the crowd came out from Jerusalem to meet Jesus because they had heard of the raising of Lazarus. Jesus simply finds a young donkey; no disciples are sent to fetch it. John adds that the disciples understood the Scripture only later, and closes with the Pharisees' dismay.
Continue reading in John →How Mark tells it
In Mark there is a single colt no one has ridden (Matthew has a donkey and a colt), and bystanders question the disciples untying it. Mark does not quote Zechariah's prophecy, as Matthew and John do. The crowd hails 'the kingdom of our father David'. Only Mark has Jesus simply look round the temple and leave, returning the next day.