“Say to Daughter Zion,

    ‘See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
    and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”  Matthew 21:5

            Jesus’ triumphant ride into Jerusalem fulfilled an interesting prophecy from Zechariah 9:9-10 about a king riding a donkey AND the colt, the foal of a donkey.  A foal is no more than a year old and a colt is a male.  This is a very specific detail to find a fully grown donkey (probably the parent) and its less than one year old child.  The odds are difficult but not impossible.  To find that specific match up during Passover in a crowded street and an owner willing to part with his livelihood makes the situation even more rare.

            What’s unusual about the triumphant ride is that a king never rode a donkey.  It’s silly.  Kings rode majestic horses.  A donkey is humble, hard working, a little stubborn.  The combination of all these factors led to an incredible fulfillment of a prophecy spoken 500 years before Jesus highlights the amazing arrival of the Messiah.