The Source of the Story of the Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem Sitting on a Donkey and Colt

Chapter III

The Sources of the Gospels and the Way of Writing Them

Section IV

The Texts that were attributed directly to the Old Testament in the Gospels

In this section we will examine the texts of the Old Testament that were attributed directly to it, and the Gospels authors said that they have not been fulfilled, and achieved only in Jesus and his time and his generation, to find out what is the truth and the reality of them, and if the Gospels authors have told the truth or not.

9 - The Source of the Story of the Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem Sitting on a Donkey and Colt

Matthew 21:1 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,

Matthew 21:2 saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me.

Matthew 21:3 "And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them’, and immediately he will send them."

Matthew 21:4 All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:

Matthew 21:5 "Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your King is coming to you, Lowly, and sitting on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey’."

Matthew 21:6 So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them.

Matthew 21:7 They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.

Mark 11:1 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples;

Mark 11:2 and He said to them, "Go into the village opposite you; and as soon as you have entered it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has sat. Loose it and bring it.

Mark 11:3 "And if anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this’? say, ‘The Lord has need of it’, and immediately he will send it here."

Mark 11:4 So they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door outside on the street, and they loosed it.

Mark 11:5 But some of those who stood there said to them, "What are you doing, loosing the colt?"

Mark 11:6 And they spoke to them just as Jesus had commanded. So they let them go.

Mark 11:7 Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their clothes on it, and He sat on it.

Luke 19:28 When He had said this, He went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.

Luke 19:29 And it came to pass, when He came near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mountain called Olivet, that He sent two of His disciples,

Luke 19:30 saying, "Go into the village opposite you, where as you enter you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Loose it and bring it here.

Luke 19:31 "And if anyone asks you, ‘Why are you loosing it’? thus you shall say to him, ‘Because the Lord has need of it’."

Luke 19:32 So those who were sent went their way and found it just as He had said to them.

Luke 19:33 But as they were loosing the colt, the owners of it said to them, "Why are you loosing the colt?"

Luke 19:34 And they said, "The Lord has need of him."

Luke 19:35 Then they brought him to Jesus. And they threw their own clothes on the colt, and they set Jesus on him.

John 12:12 The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem,

John 12:13 took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out: "Hosanna! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord’! The King of Israel!"

John 12:14 Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written:

John 12:15 "Fear not, daughter of Zion; Behold, your King is coming, Sitting on a donkey’s colt."

John 12:16 His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him.

This story is not subject to any doubt among the various churches, and they call it the Triumphal Entry, and they believe that Jesus had entered into Jerusalem sitting on a donkey and a colt to fulfill what is written in the Book of Zechariah, "Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, Lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey’".

But I consider it representing a clear model of the way or the method or the approach of writing the Gospels, which based on the texts of the Old Testament, away from the revelation and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and even away from the historical events, and how the authors had have the ability to distort and twist those texts.

Because as we see they have written three different stories, and all of them have relied upon the text of Zechariah, even though all of them have differences with the text of Zechariah, as it will appear to us shortly after.

Matthew says that Jesus sat on the donkey and the colt together; because he quoted literally what is written in Zechariah, and this is one of the strangest of what has been written not in the Gospels only, but also in all what have been written by mankind all Ages, except in the books of mythology and fiction stories! While the rest of the authors have written the content of Zechariah's text; Mark and Luke wrote that Jesus sat on a colt only, and mentioning the story of Matthew with some changes, but they did not attribute it to Zechariah, and John wrote that Jesus had found a young donkey and sat on it, without mentioning the story of Matthew, but he said as it is written, also without determining which Book has mentioned it, because they, i.e., Mark, Luke and John, were not able to imagine how to ride both of a donkey and a colt at the same time that were mentioned in the text of Zechariah, for this they omitted one animal, and confined to mention the colt or the donkey! And this raises many doubts about the reliability of this story in terms of the theological and historical perspective, and their way in dealing with the text of the Old Testament.

The first is if they have seen this event, Matthew and John, or have heard it from trusted witnesses, Mark and Luke, they should write the same story, not as they did in this story.

The second is if the text of Zechariah is a prophecy about Jesus they should not distort and twist the text, as we will see shortly after.

The third is if Jesus was a god, as the churches say, what is the need to ride some animals to enter into Jerusalem, and what is the ability of that donkey and colt to bear the glory of Jesus?! Moreover why he did not enter into Jerusalem sitting on the hands of angels or on a throne carried by angels or on the clouds to show his glory and greatness, instead of entering sitting on a donkey and a colt as Matthew wrote, or on a colt only as Mark and Luke wrote, or on a donkey as John wrote, if he was what the churches say about him is true?!

The fourth is on the saying of Jesus when he sent the two disciples to bring a donkey and a colt "And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them", as wrote Matthew, Mark and Luke; this saying is unbelievable and unimaginable if he was a true god because the LORD the Creator does not need to any creature to help Him to do what He wants as we have read in the first chapter.

Now let's read the text of Zechariah to find out if it was prophesying about Jesus and applies to him or not, which is as follows:

Zechariah 9:9 "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.

The Hebrew Version

Zechariah 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion, shout, O daughter of Jerusalem; behold, thy king cometh unto thee, he is triumphant, and victorious, lowly, and riding upon an ass, even upon a colt the foal of an ass.

The Septuagint Version

Zechariah 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Sion; proclaim it aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem; behold, the King is coming to thee, just, and a Saviour; he is meek and riding on an ass, and a young foal.

The text begins by saying "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem", while Matthew wrote "Tell the daughter of Zion.", and John wrote "Fear not, daughter of Zion", and the difference is clear between them, and this difference I do not think it could be hidden from the eyes of the Holy Spirit if he has inspired the Gospels authors, or at least if Matthew and John had have integrity and credibility in what they quote from the texts of the Old Testament!

Then shows why asking the daughter of Zion and a girl Jerusalem to be rejoicing greatly and shout, saying, that the reason is because their king will come to them, who is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey, which means that this king will not come driving a car or a plane or a ship, as well as he will not come riding a horse-drawn cart.

So, the king whom the daughter of Zion will rejoice for him, and the girl Jerusalem shout for him, is the King who is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey, and this riding is a sign of lowliness and meekness, because the kings in the ancient Ages were loving to show their power and tyranny when they enter into their capitals and towns by riding horses or a horse-drawn cart and the soldiers around them, especially after winning the wars, but the text says that the king who is just and having salvation will enter into Jerusalem with all lowliness and the meekness, so that he will ride on a donkey and a colt, and these two animals usually had not been used in the wars, but were used by ordinary people such as farmers and others, this is what the text of Zechariah means to anyone who reads it accurately, and without the need to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Yet, Matthew had read it and wrote it in a different way; he has omitted the characteristics just and having salvation, and kept the lowliness, because the readers of the Gospels know very well that Jesus did not participate in any battle to win it, even that he has fled from the Jews when they have tried to make him king! As in the following text:

John 6:15 Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.

So how can it be Jesus is the king who has the salvation, or he is triumphant, and victorious, while his last words on the cross are "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" that is, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?", and "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" which is translated, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"? And was paying taxes to Caesar, and says to his disciples to give to Caesar what is Caesar's as in the following texts:

Matthew 27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" that is, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"

Mark 15:34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" which is translated, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"

Matthew 22:20 And He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?"

Matthew 22:21 They said to Him, "Caesar’s." And He said to them, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s."

As for the characteristic of Justice; Jesus did not claim it for himself one day throughout his life, and the proof of this issue is that he has refused to divide the inheritance between two brothers, and said very clearly "who made me a judge or an arbitrator over you?", this clear evidence that he did not do justice among people, therefore, how to be Jesus the king who was mentioned in this text? As in the following text:

Luke 12:13 Then one from the crowd said to Him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."

Luke 12:14 But He said to him, "Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?"

Moreover he has ordered his followers not to resist evil, as in the following text:

Matthew 5:39 "But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.

So if Jesus has asked not to resist evil; how he will do justice to make the characteristics of the king of Jerusalem applies to him?

For this, Matthew has ignored the words "He is just and having salvation", or "he is triumphant, and victorious", and I do not think that these words were far from his sight, but the narration of the Gospel as is written requires to ignore it!

As for John; the matter with him is more complicated, because he has omitted the words "He is just and having salvation", or "he is triumphant, and victorious", and Lowly, and wrote that the king of Jerusalem will enter into Jerusalem sitting on a donkey’s colt, not only this, but he did not show where this text is mentioned in the Old Testament by saying only as it is written!

While Mark and Luke because they could not imagine how can a man be riding a donkey and a colt at the same time; they did not attribute their story to the Old Testament and wrote a story similar to Matthew's story, but they said that Jesus sat on the colt only, and told us a new information, which is that no one has ever sat on it! Although this matter is very simple, because the text of Zechariah was not determined the way of riding, so it is possible that he rides a donkey first and then rides a colt later, and this gives us a sample about the ability of understanding of the Gospels authors.

Zechariah 9:10 I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim And the horse from Jerusalem; The battle bow shall be cut off. He shall speak peace to the nations; His dominion shall be ‘from sea to sea, And from the River to the ends of the earth’.

This verse says that the Lord, after the entry of the king of Jerusalem, will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall speak peace to the nations, Ephraim intended one of the two states of the Jews, which included the lands of ten tribes of Jews after the death of the king Solomon, and sometimes called Israel or Samaria, and the second state is Judah, which included the land of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, and its capital Jerusalem, and often called Jerusalem to denote the state.

And the Gospels authors did not tell us that any of these things have occurred after the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem at that time, but wrote that Jesus has been arrested after six days, and was whipped and beaten and crucified by the Jews, and Ephraim and Jerusalem are no longer exist as states, and the Romans who were dominant in the Holy Land, and no one dares to violate and resist their power, therefore where are these facts from the minds and the eyes of the Gospels authors, who are trying to convince the good people of the followers of the churches that this text was talking about Jesus?

As for the last paragraph "His dominion shall be ‘from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth’", it clearly confirms that this text was not talking about Jesus, because the king of Jerusalem who was mentioned in the text his dominion should be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth, while Jesus did not have any dominion on any place, so that he said "My kingdom is not of this world", as in the following text: 

John 18:33 Then Pilate entered the Praetorium again, called Jesus, and said to Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?"

John 18:34 Jesus answered him, "Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me?"

John 18:35 Pilate answered, "Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me. What have You done?"

John 18:36 Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here."

The rest of the text talks about the Jews in some eras, whether before the time of Jesus or after, but certainly does not talk about the time of Jesus.

Zechariah 9:11 "As for you also, Because of the blood of your covenant, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.

Zechariah 9:12 Return to the stronghold, You prisoners of hope. Even today I declare That I will restore double to you.

Zechariah 9:13 For I have bent Judah, My bow, Fitted the bow with Ephraim, And raised up your sons, O Zion, Against your sons, O Greece, And made you like the sword of a mighty man."

Zechariah 9:14 Then the LORD will be seen over them, And His arrow will go forth like lightning. The Lord GOD will blow the trumpet, And go with whirlwinds from the south.

Zechariah 9:15 The LORD of hosts will defend them; They shall devour and subdue with slingstones. They shall drink and roar as if with wine; They shall be filled with blood like basins, Like the corners of the altar.

Zechariah 9:16 The LORD their God will save them in that day, As the flock of His people. For they shall be like the jewels of a crown, Lifted like a banner over His land.

From this careful reading of the text of Zechariah, and the discrepancies between the texts of the Gospels, we conclude that this story have not been based on historical event, but the Gospels authors have relied upon the text of Zechariah to write their narratives, with note that they have distorted the text of Zechariah, according to their way or method of the writing, which is the quoting from the texts of the Old Testament and reformulating them in their narratives, regardless of the historical events or the true meaning of those texts to bestow a state of holiness and credibility and reliability on the Gospels, thus I can say that the law "do not accept the lying and false" applies to the story of the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem in the four Gospels.