One event, four witnesses
The Triumphal Entry
Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a colt while crowds spread garments and branches and cry Hosanna. All four Gospels record this entry into the city in the last week before the cross.
“And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples,”Matthew 21:1
“And when they came nigh to Jerusalem, unto Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount of Olives, he sendeth forth two of his disciples,”Mark 11:1
“And when he had thus spoken, he went before, ascending up to Jerusalem.”Luke 19:28
“On the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem,”John 12:12
The event
The event. As Jesus approaches Jerusalem near Bethphage and the Mount of Olives, He sends two disciples to fetch a colt, telling them what to say if anyone questions them. They bring the animal, lay their garments on it, and set Jesus thereon. A great multitude spreads their garments in the way, and others cut branches, palm branches in John, and strew them on the road, crying, "Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord." John notes the crowd had heard of the raising of Lazarus, which drew many out to meet Him. The city is stirred, asking who this is, and the crowds answer that it is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth. Luke records that as Jesus draws near He weeps over Jerusalem, foreseeing its destruction because it did not know the time of its visitation, and that some Pharisees tell Him to rebuke His disciples, to which He replies that if they held their peace the stones would cry out. The entry fulfills Zechariah's prophecy of a king coming lowly and riding upon a colt, and it opens the final week that will end at the cross.
Read side by side: what is the same, what differs
Read side by side: what is the same, what differs. All four agree that Jesus entered Jerusalem riding a young donkey, that crowds spread garments and branches, and that they hailed Him with Hosanna and the words of Psalm 118, "Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord." The details each adds are complementary. The most noted difference is that Matthew mentions two animals, an ass and a colt, saying the disciples brought both and set garments on them, while Mark, Luke, and John mention only the colt. This is not a contradiction: a young colt not yet ridden would naturally be led alongside its mother to keep it calm, and Matthew, quoting Zechariah's parallel line about an ass and a colt, notes both animals were fetched even though Jesus rode the colt. Matthew's fuller count reflects his attention to the fulfillment of prophecy. John alone connects the crowd's enthusiasm to the raising of Lazarus and specifies palm branches. Luke alone records Jesus weeping over the city and the exchange about the crying stones. Matthew and Mark note the cleansing of the temple that follows, and Matthew records the children crying Hosanna in the temple. These varied details are the natural fullness of four witnesses; the one entry, the colt, and the acclamation stand firm.
What it shows of Christ
What it shows of Christ. Jesus enters His city not on a war horse but on a lowly colt, deliberately fulfilling Zechariah's prophecy of the humble king who comes bringing peace. He is hailed as the Son of David, the promised messianic King, yet the manner of His coming redefines the kingship the crowds expect. Matthew, the Gospel of the King and of fulfillment, stresses the prophecy and the two animals, and the children's Hosanna in the temple. John ties the acclaim to the raising of Lazarus, the sign that revealed His power over death, and names the palms of victory. Luke, ever tender and clear-eyed, shows the King weeping over the city that will reject Him, grieved that it did not know the day of its visitation, revealing a compassion that presses on toward the cross despite foreknown sorrow. Mark moves swiftly to the temple. Together they show a King who receives the praise due Him, yet comes in lowliness and tears, to reign through suffering rather than conquest.
Questions people ask
Why does Matthew mention two animals when the others mention only the colt?
Matthew, attentive to the fulfillment of Zechariah's prophecy, notes that both the donkey and her colt were fetched. A young, unridden colt would naturally be led alongside its mother to keep it calm, and Jesus rode the colt. Mark, Luke, and John simply mention the colt He rode. There is no contradiction between recording both animals and mentioning the one He sat upon.
What does Luke uniquely add to the triumphal entry?
Luke alone records that Jesus wept over Jerusalem as He approached, foreseeing its coming destruction because it did not recognize the time of its visitation, and the exchange in which He tells the Pharisees that if the disciples were silent, the very stones would cry out. These deepen the scene with the King's compassion and the certainty of His acclaim.