Riding On A Colt

In The Word

Read: Matthew 20:29-21:22

Sight for the Blind

29 As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Him. 30 And two blind men sitting by the road, hearing that Jesus was passing by, cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” 31 The crowd sternly told them to be quiet, but they cried out all the more, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” 32 And Jesus stopped and called them, and said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” 33 They *said to Him, “Lord, we want our eyes to be opened.” 34 Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes; and immediately they regained their sight and followed Him.

The Triumphal Entry

21 When they had approached Jerusalem and had come to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied there and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to Me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.” This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:

Say to the daughter of Zion,
Behold your King is coming to you,
Gentle, and mounted on a donkey,
Even on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’”

The disciples went and did just as Jesus had instructed them, and brought the donkey and the colt, and laid their coats on them; and He sat on the coats. Most of the crowd spread their coats in the road, and others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them in the road. The crowds going ahead of Him, and those who followed, were shouting,

“Hosanna to the Son of David;
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord;
Hosanna in the highest!”

10 When He had entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, “Who is this?”11 And the crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee.”

Cleansing the Temple

12 And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves. 13 And He *said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer’; but you are making it a robbersden.”

14 And the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.15 But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that He had done, and the children who were shouting in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they became indignant 16 and said to Him, “Do You hear what these children are saying?” And Jesus *said to them, “Yes; have you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies You have prepared praise for Yourself’?”17 And He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and spent the night there.

The Barren Fig Tree

18 Now in the morning, when He was returning to the city, He became hungry.19 Seeing a lone fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it except leaves only; and He *said to it, “No longer shall there ever be any fruit from you.”And at once the fig tree withered.

20 Seeing this, the disciples were amazed and asked, “How did the fig tree wither all at once?” 21 And Jesus answered and said to them, “Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ it will happen. 22 And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”

New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation


Walking In The Word

Jesus fulfilled the Isaiah 62:11 prophecies by entering Jerusalem on a colt.  This event is so important that it is recorded in all four gospels. This event had the people shouting praises and laying their garments down in the path of Jesus. They shouted, “Son of David,” and, “Hosanna, save us now!” It was a historic event, and the people were excited about the possibility of finally being relieved of Roman governance. But they would be disappointed, because this King arrived on a colt, a lowly colt. No majestic horse to ride, implying a warrior-king like King David; no, it was Jesus, and He was not interested in Rome, but in Israel!

The first thing Jesus did when He entered Jerusalem was enter the temple. It was here that He saw the real condition of Israel’s heart. Instead of finding a house of prayer, he found a house of thieves. The temple had become a market place! It’s the same thing when we get saved; Jesus enters the center of our heart. What will Jesus find in your heart? Will He find a heart of worship and love, or a heart full of hate and unforgiveness? It is so easy in this life to begin with a temple, like we read in 1 Kings 8:10, where the presence of God is. But as we live this life with the hurts and disappointments, sometimes we let our heart be corrupted. If that’s your heart, then ask Jesus to come in and cleanse your heart. He will do it as only Jesus can!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *