MATTHEW 21.6-11: The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. (7) They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. (8) Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. (9) And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” (10) And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” (11) And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.” (ESV)
Matthew confirms the fulfillment of the prophecy of Zechariah 9.9 by the action of Jesus riding the colt of the donkey into Jerusalem. This is what the coming King of Israel will do. Zechariah connects humility with riding on a donkey, and it seems as though riding on a donkey would also indicate that this type of entrance is not for the purpose of war with Rome.
Another reference to Old Testament scripture is the crowd shouting, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”, which is from Psalm 118.26. The central idea of Psalm 118 is about Israel being saved and delivered from the oppression of foreign nations. For example, Psalm 118.10 says, “All nations surrounded me; in the name of the Lord I cut them off!” (ESV). This salvation appears to have in mind the physical salvation from these foreign nations. So all of this indicates that many were expecting Jesus as Messiah to fulfill their idea that the Messiah would be a warrior.
Jesus entered Jerusalem as the Messiah and King of Israel who will sit on the throne of David, and the crowds acknowledged Him as the Son of David. And He entered for the purpose of winning the battle against death, and sin, and the forces of darkness. But He was getting ready to win this battle by a method that was contrary to the traditional way of warfare and victory. He would win this battle by surrendering His life into the hands of His religious enemies and the Roman government.
In Colossians 2.13-15 The Apostle Paul writes that by the death of Jesus on the cross, He triumphed over our sins and the consequences of sin against us, and He won the victory over the forces of evil, who fight against us. And once again, Jesus won the victory by surrendering His life, rather than fighting as a military leader.
So the crowds during the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem had their expectations, and their support for Him would soon slip away, when it was not fulfilled accordance with their thinking. The crowds would scatter, once the enemies of Jesus went into action.
But even though for the rest of the week it would appear that Jesus had lost, He would faithfully complete His mission. He lived the sinless life required of Him to fulfill the Law of the Old Testament. He fulfilled all prophecies written about Him. And He was on-time in Jerusalem to give His life as the final requirement for Him to complete God’s plan of salvation, available to all the world.