Matthew 21:4

"If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and immediately he will send them.”"

Key Reflection

In Matthew 21:4, Jesus instructs his disciples on how to respond when questioned about the purpose of the donkey they are riding into Jerusalem. This instruction is part of a broader narrative leading up to the triumphal entry and subsequent events surrounding the Passion week. By saying, "The Lord needs them," the disciples are essentially invoking divine authority, which in first-century Jewish culture would have been understood as God's will being done. This response reflects Jesus' deliberate act of fulfilling prophecy (Zechariah 9:9) while maintaining a low profile and avoiding unnecessary confrontation with religious authorities.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Verses 4,5. All this was done, etc. The prophecy here quoted is found in Zec 9:9. It was always, by the Jews, applied to the Messiah. Daughter of Zion. That is, Jerusalem. Zion was one of the hills on which the city of Jerusalem was built. On this stood the city of David and some strong fortresses. The names daughter and virgin were given to it often, in accordance with the oriental figurative manner of expression. See Barnes "Isa 1:8"; See Barnes "Am 5:2"; See Barnes "Ps 137:8; See Barnes "Isa 47:1". It was given to them as an expression of their beauty or comeliness. Meek. See Barnes "Mt 5:5".

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