The village of Bethphage, located on the eastern slope of the , lay exactly on the road linking Bethany to Jerusalem. Mark and Luke, moreover, associate its name with that of Bethany to emphasise their immediate proximity.
At that time, the was not yet a particularly well-known place, but it naturally overlooked this pilgrim route. The Messiah Jesus and his disciples had made their camp near Bethany; on leaving it for Jerusalem, they were bound to pass close to Bethphage.
The name of this locality means “house of ”, which suggests that the mentioned later by Matthew and Mark (PER282) was probably located in this area. When the group reaches the outskirts of the village, the stop has only one purpose: the search for a colt.
The Messiah Jesus knows that he must enter Jerusalem seated on the foal of a donkey, thereby knowingly fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah 9.9 announcing a humble and peaceful king. Matthew, true to his way of writing, explicitly stresses this prophetic link.
The Messiah Jesus then sends two of his disciples to fetch the colt and its mother. He gives them precise instructions: on entering the village, they will find the animals tied up; if anyone questions them, they are simply to answer that “the Lord has need of them”.
The Evangelists thus show the sovereignty of Jesus, who knows in advance the situation, the presence of the animals and even the reaction of their owners. These agree immediately when the disciples give the requested explanation. The episode highlights the unhesitating obedience of the two disciples, the quiet authority of the Master over the course of events, and the willing and public fulfilment of a long-awaited prophecy.