Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, (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. (3) And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.” (4) All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: (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.” (6) So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. (7) They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them. (8) And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. (9) Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: “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 had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, “Who is this?” (11) So the multitudes said, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.”

Our verses today are a chronicle of the beginning of the last week in the life of our Lord before the crucifixion and we need to understand the significance of His entry to Jerusalem (Zion) to understand what comes next. Jesus has been preaching in Galilee but now draws near to Jerusalem which was the end of His earthly pilgrimage; now we are there at the week of Passover which was the primary moment of Israel’s calendar year.
When Jesus sent his disciples to bring a donkey and an unridden foal He knows death is near and is openly showing the nature of His kingdom. Jesus is fulfilling that well known prophecy which was spoken by 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 Christ will come poor and meek unlike earthly kings in their pomp and splendor. Jesus came to Jerusalem to present Himself formally to the leaders of Israel as Messiah as predicted. He came then as a servant, in peace, extending grace rather than judgment. Jesus’ deliberate preparations for a city wide reception greatly contrasts with His former approach to ministry – this is apparent in the people’s recognition of the significance of such an entry. It was the solemn declaration of Christ that He was/is the Old Testament promised Messianic King. Jesus no longer keeps his Messianic secret.
By sending for the colt and ass Jesus initiates everything culminating in His crucifixion. Jesus is declaring who He is. But, in a nutshell, the Jewish people believed Jesus was the Messiah but didn’t understand the nature of the Messiah; they didn’t understand God’s plan of salvation and they wanted the Messiah of their own invention.