Jesus Rides into Jerusalem on a Donkey

This lesson is taken from Matthew 21: 1-11; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:28-44;

 John 12:12-19; and Zechariah 9:9-10

As Jesus and his disciples came close to Jerusalem they came to a couple of villages, named Bethphage and Bethany, at the hill called the Mount of Olives.  Jesus sent two of his disciples to the village that was just ahead of them.  Jesus told the two disciples, “Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter the village, you will see a donkey and her colt tied there.  No one has ever ridden the colt.  Untie the colt and bring him to me.  If anyone asks, “Why are you doing this?  You are to tell them, the Lord needs it and he will send the colt back to you shortly.  And the man will send it right away.”

Jesus done this to fulfill what the prophet Zechariah had said: “Rejoice, O daughters of Zion!  Shout! Daughters of Jerusalem!  Your King comes to you, and He is riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”   What the prophet was saying is “Their King, which is Jesus is coming to Jerusalem and Jesus would be riding on a young donkey.”

The disciple went ahead to the village and they did just as Jesus had told them.  They found the donkey and her colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway.  As they were untying the colt, the owners asked the disciples, “Why are you untying that colt?”  The disciples answered, “The Lord needs it.”  So, the owners of the colt let it go with the disciples.  Just like Jesus had said he would.

The two disciples brought the colt to Jesus.  They disciples threw their coats on the back of the young donkey.  Then Jesus sat on the young donkey’s back. 

A great crowd of people had come for the feast, and they heard that Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem.  As Jesus was riding the colt on the road, many people spread their cloaks on the road, while other people cut branches from the trees in the fields and spread them on the road.

 

As Jesus came near the place where the road goes down the side of the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of people, those ahead of Jesus and those behind Jesus begin to joyfully shout and praise God for all the miracles they had seen Jesus do.  For some of the people in the crowd, had been with Jesus when He raised Lazarus from the dead, and they still told others what Jesus had done.  Many people because they had heard that Jesus had done this miracle, went out to meet Jesus as he passed by on the road.

The crowd of people shouted joyfully:  “Hosanna to the Son of David!  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!  Blessed is the King of Israel!  Hosanna in the highest!  Peace and glory in the highest Heaven!”

Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell your disciples to stop!”  But Jesus said, “I tell you if they kept quiet, then the very stones would cry out.”

As Jesus came close to Jerusalem and he saw the city, he started to cry.  And Jesus said, “If you had only known on this day what would bring you peace.  But, now it is hidden from you.  The day will come when your enemies will come against you, they will completely surround you on every side.  They will destroy you.  They will not leave one stone on top of another, because you did not know the time of God’s coming to you.   So, you turned down what God had to offer you.”

When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was excited and they asked, “Who is this man?”  The crowds of people answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet, from the town of Nazareth in Galilee.”  

Questions:  Draw a line to the correct answer

1.        What did Jesus send his disciples to get?	a.       Their coats and palm branches
2.       Who was the King of Jerusalem that the prophet Zechariah was talking about?	b.       Lazarus
3.       What was it that the disciples threw their coats on the back of?	c.       A donkey’s colt
4.       What did the crowd of people place on the road?	d.       Jesus
5.       Some of the crowd of people was with Jesus when Jesus called who from the death?	e.       The colt
6.       What did the crowd of people joyfully shout?	f.        He cried

7.       What did Jesus do when he came close to Jerusalem and saw the city?	G.   This is the prophet, Jesus from the town of Nazareth in Galilee.
8.       Who did the crowd of people say that Jesus was?	H.       Hosanna!  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!  Blessed is the King of Israel!  Hosanna in the highest!  Peace and glory in the highest Heaven!”

 

Find a word

4 COLT 5 COATS CROWD GLORY JESUS PEACE SCOLD

6 DONKEY HEAVEN PEOPLE 7 BLESSED GALILEE HOSANNA LAZARUS TEACHER

8 MIRACLES NAZARETH 9 DISCIPLES JERUSALEM 12 KING OF ISRAEL PALM BRANCHES

P	A	L	M	B	R	A	N	C	H	E	S
E	D	O	N	K	E	Y	A	S	O	T	T
O	Y	R	O	L	G	B	Z	E	S	E	A
P	E	A	C	E	H	E	A	L	A	A	O
L	A	Z	A	R	U	S	R	C	N	C	C
E	E	L	I	L	A	G	E	A	N	H	R
B	L	E	S	S	E	D	T	R	A	E	O
I	S	N	E	V	A	E	H	I	A	R	W
J	E	R	U	S	A	L	E	M	I	H	D
L	E	A	R	S	I	F	O	G	N	I	K
D	I	S	C	I	P	L	E	S	M	Y	A
S	U	S	E	J	S	C	O	L	D	E	H
H	E	R	E	C	O	L	T	S	A	M	E

 

 

Questions Answer Sheet

What did Jesus send his disciples to get? C	Their coats and palm branches
Who was the King of Jerusalem that the prophet Zechariah was talking about?  D	Lazarus
What was it that the disciples threw their coats on the back of?  E	A donkey colt
What did the crowd of people place on the road?  A	Jesus
Some of the crowd of people was with Jesus when Jesus called who from the death?  B	The colt
What did the crowd of people joyfully shout? H	He cried
What did Jesus do when he came close to Jerusalem and saw the city?  F	G.  This is the prophet, Jesus from the town of Nazareth in Galilee.
Who did the crowd of people say that Jesus was?  G	H.  Hosanna!  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!  Blessed is the King of Israel!  Hosanna in the highest!  Peace and glory in the highest Heaven!”