Texts in Conversation
Matthew describes Jesus entering Jerusalem on a donkey and colt to fulfill Zechariah’s image of a humble king. Rabbinic tradition in Genesis Rabbah also uses Zechariah when interpreting Judah in messianic history, connecting it to a future king.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Matthew 21:4
New Testament
1 Now when they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 telling them, “Go to the village ahead of you. Right away you will find a donkey tied there, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, you are to say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet: 5 “Tell the people of Zion, ‘Look, your king is coming to you, unassuming and seated on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’” 6 So the disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them, and he sat on them.
Genesis Rabbah 98:9
Aggadah
Rabbinic
“He will bind his foal to the vine, and to the branch of the vine his donkey’s foal; he launders his garments in wine, and in the blood of grapes, his clothes” (Genesis 49:11). “He will bind his foal to the vine” – Rabbi Yehuda, Rabbi Neḥemya, and the Rabbis: Rabbi Yehuda said: A vine with a poor yield, one binds a donkey to it; “and to the branch of the vine [velasoreka],” two of “his donkey’s foal.” “He launders his garments in wine” – this is the milk; “and in the blood of grapes, his clothes” – this is the red. Rabbi Neḥemya said: “He will bind his foal [iro] to the vine” – from when He brings the vine into His city [iro] – “the city that I have chosen” (I Kings 11:32). “And to the branch of the vine his donkey’s [atono] foal” – steadfast [ha’etanim] children are worthy to be produced from him. The Rabbis say: I am bound to the vine and the vine branch. “His foal” and “his donkey” – upon the arrival of the one in whose regard it is written: “A humble man riding on a donkey…” (Zechariah 9:9). “He launders his garments in wine” – as [the Messiah] clarifies matters of Torah for them; “and in the blood of grapes, his clothes” – as he clarifies their errors for them. Rabbi Ḥanin said: Israel does not need the teaching of the messianic king in the future, as it is stated: “Nations will seek him” (Isaiah 11:10) – not Israel. If so, why does the messianic king come, and what does he come to do? To gather the exiles of Israel and to give them thirty mitzvot. That is what is written: “I said to them: If it is proper in your eye, [give Me My fee…So they weighed out My fee: thirty silver coins]” (Zechariah 11:12) – Rav said: These are the thirty mighty men. Rabbi Yoḥanan said: These are thirty mitzvot. They said to Rabbi Yoḥanan: Rav does not accept that the verse is speaking only regarding the nations of the world. According to the opinion of Rav, when Israel merit, their majority will be in the Land of Israel and their minority in Babylon.
Date: 500 C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... In contrast to Matthew’s genealogy, whose apex or fullness is reached with David, the rabbinic apex is David’s son Solomon. For the Talmudic Rabbis, the wane of Jewish fortunes begins with Rehoboam, Solomon’s son, and devolves, as in Matthew, into the utter darkness of Exile. In the rabbinic genealogy above, in the waxing period of ascent, David is the fourteenth name. (A variant reading from Exodus Rabbah 15:26 lists fifteen generations from Abraham to Solomon.) ... Some rabbinic genealogies begin the messianic chronology with Jacob’s son Judah. Genesis Rabbah 98 interprets both Genesis 49:9 (“[Judah] stoops, he crouches like a lion”) and Numbers 24:9 (“He has crouched, he has lain down like a lion”) with reference to messianic genealogy divided into generational stages in two different ways. Interpretations of the relevant verses vary accordingly. The first stage of one of these messianic lineages, tripartite like Matthew’s, begins with Judah’s son Perez and concludes with David. The second stage is from David to Zedekiah. The final stage is presumably, although it is not explicitly stated, from Zedekiah to the Messiah ..."
Basser, Herbert W.
The Gospel of Matthew and Judaic Traditions: A Relevance-Based Commentary
(pp. 33-34) Brill, 2015
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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