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Category: Personal Study
Thread: How the OT reveals Jesus
Post Topic: Prophecy – the Donkey
Post in Thread: #3
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Scripture: Zechariah 9:9-10; Mark 11:1-11
Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! … See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey
Zechariah 9:9-10
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
Mark 11:2
Observations
Context
- Zechariah, one of the twelve minor prophets, lived 500 years before Jesus.
- This story in Mark is what Christians celebrate as Palm Sunday, the start of Holy Week.
The Prophecy of Zechariah
- Zechariah urges rejoicing at the entrance of their king
- The king is righteous and victorious
- But he is also lowly (humble), riding on a donkey
- It is actually a colt, the foal of a donkey
Fulfillment
- Jesus told to disciples they’d find a colt in the nearby village of Bethpage, never before ridden.
- They find it and are confronted. When they explain that Jesus wants it, they are allowed to take it.
- They bring the colt, and Jesus rides it into Jerusalem.
- The crowds cheer him as king, even though he is riding a lowly beast of burden.
- They spread their cloaks and palm branches in the path.
- It’s a day of exuberant rejoicing, the Jews praise Jesus as Messiah and King as he rides into Jerusalem on a beast of burden.
Interpretation
Setting/Author – Zechariah
- Zechariah prophesies in Jerusalem to the Jewish remnant who have returned from seventy years of exile in Babylon (Zechariah 1:1)
- He reveals Jesus as a humble human being in his first coming (Zechariah 9:9).
- He also prophesizes Jesus’ second coming as Judge and King (Zechariah 9:10–10:12).
Setting/Author – Mark
- Mark was not a disciple, but likely witnessed Jesus ministry and his crucifixion as a very young man.
- Mark’s primary source for his Gospel was Peter.
- Early church fathers said Mark depicted Jesus as a humble servant, as in Mark 10:45: “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”.
Genre
- Zechariah – Mostly poetic prophecy with some narrative elements
- Mark – Historical Narrative
Imagine
You are a disciple who goes to the next village to get the colt. It’s young, never ridden, jittery, wild. It snorts and kicks and bites as you lead it. But you barely notice. Your mind is consumed with the ancient prophecies about to be fulfilled – by your Rabbi! A king, righteous and victorious, the prophet said! Is the kingdom of God really here? What will it look like? And what role will the king give you in his glory?
Takeaways
- When the two disciples found the unridden colt, all had been pre-arranged by Jesus, suggesting his intentional purpose of fulfilling Zechariah.
- Victorious kings, like David, always entered cities on magnificent stallions rather than lowly donkeys.
- Mark’s portrayal of Jesus as servant corresponds with Jesus’ choice of a lowly donkey for his entrance into Jerusalem.
Historical Note to Ponder
Historians say that Pontius Pilate entered Jerusalem on a white horse from the west the same day. Is this why the Romans didn’t interfere when Jesus descended the Mount of Olives from the east as he entered Jerusalem?
Correlation
- I Kings 1:33 – Solomon rode a donkey the day he succeeded David as king. This signified that unlike his father, Solomon was to be a king of peace.
- Genesis 49:11 – Jacob blessed all his sons prophetically before he died. To Judah, Jacob speaks of a donkey and her foal. Jesus is in the line of Judah.
- Matthew 20:17-19 – Jesus could have used this day to set up his kingdom. But instead he chose the cross.
Application
Generic Applications
- Even on the one day Jesus allowed the masses to recognize him as king, he exemplified humility.
- Jesus visually presented his reason for leaving heaven—to become a servant to bear our sins and all of our burdens.
Personalize it
- If given a choice, would I trot around my neighborhood on an elegant, white stallion to impress everyone as Pilate did–or would I instead ride a humble beast of burden as Jesus did, and invite children to come and pet the little guy?
- How can I exhibit humility in my achievements? When I am being honored by others?
Bible study methodology adapted from Searching the Scriptures with permission from Tyndale House:
Swindoll, Charles, Searching the Scriptures. Tyndale House Publishers, 2016.
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