“Why do ye loose him?”
The full verse · Luke 19:31 · KJV
any , do ye him? shall ye unto , the of .
Asked by
Bystanders: "any man" in the village who might question the disciples about the colt; in the event, the owners asked (Luke 19:31, 33)
Asked to
Disciples: "two of his disciples" (Luke 19:29), unnamed in the text, sent into the village to loose a colt and bring it; Jesus tells them what to say if any man asks why they loose him (Luke 19:31).
The Scene
Near Bethphage and Bethany at the mount of Olives, Jesus sends two disciples into the village to loose a colt on which no man has ever sat and bring it to Him (Luke 19:29-30).
Why It Was Asked
The purpose behind the questionThis question had not been asked yet. Jesus foresaw it and prepared His disciples for it. Anyone who saw two strangers untying a colt would naturally want to know why. Jesus gave the disciples the answer before they went, so they would not be caught off guard. Gill thinks the owners probably "knew the Lord Jesus Christ, and by this way of speaking of him, knew, at once, who was meant." Barnes thinks the people the disciples were sent to were probably acquainted with Jesus' miracles and "favorably disposed toward him."
The Response
What Scripture recordsJesus supplied the answer Himself: "Because the Lord hath need of him" (Luke 19:31). The disciples "found even as he had said unto them" (Luke 19:32). The question came just as Jesus foretold, from the colt's owners: "Why loose ye the colt?" (Luke 19:33). The disciples answered with Jesus' own words, "The Lord hath need of him" (Luke 19:34), and "they brought him to Jesus" and set Him on it (Luke 19:35).
Historical Context
The world behind the wordsBarnes notes that "In Judea there were few horses," which were used mainly in war, while the ass and mule served for ordinary travel. "To ride on a horse was sometimes an emblem of war; on a mule and an ass the emblem of peace." The colt was one "whereon yet never man sat" (Luke 19:30).
The word "Lord" here is the Greek kyrios, which can mean master or owner as well as Lord. Barnes notes on Matthew's account that the word "Lord" often means no more than master, as opposed to servant. Gill, by contrast, thinks the owners probably understood at once who was meant. Matthew says this was done to fulfill "the prophet" (Matthew 21:4-5), and Barnes identifies the prophecy as Zechariah 9:9.
The Bigger Picture
Where this fits in God's storyThe question shows Jesus knowing and arranging the details of His coming into Jerusalem. He told the disciples what they would find, what they would be asked, and what to say, and it all happened "even as he had said" (Luke 19:32). Matthew Henry says Jesus "could influence those to whom the ass and the colt belonged to consent to their taking them away, as soon as they were told that the Lord had occasion for them."
This colt carried a King who came in peace. Zechariah had foretold a King "lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass" (Zechariah 9:9). As Jesus rode, His disciples cried, "Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord" (Luke 19:38).
Look Closer
Why did Jesus tell the disciples about the question before they went?
Carry the question into prayer and conversation.
Lord, You knew the question before it was asked; what have You already prepared me to say when others ask about You?
A prayer to carry into the day.
- The disciples went before they knew how the owners would respond. What makes it hard for you to obey before you can see how things will turn out?
- Tell about a time you found things "even as he had said."
For you, a small group, a friend, or the dinner table.
When Jesus sends you, He has already gone ahead. The disciples did not have to invent an answer; they only had to repeat what Jesus told them (Luke 19:31, 34).
You may face questions when you follow Jesus: "Why are you doing this?" A simple, honest answer that points to Him is often enough. Matthew Henry puts it, "Those that go on Christ's errands are sure to speed."
This doesn't mean Jesus' name is an excuse to take what isn't yours. The disciples did not take the colt in secret; they answered openly, and the colt was brought to Jesus with no objection recorded (Luke 19:33-35).
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