The gospels all mentioned that Jesus rode a donkey into Jerusalem. However, Matthew mentioned that there were actually two donkeys (mother and colt) while the other three gospels only mentioned colt. There is no contradiction in this. Let’s take a look:
Donkey and colt: Matthew 21:2-7, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied there and a colt with her; untie them, and bring them to Me. 3 “And if anyone says something to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.” 4 Now this took place that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, 5 “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold your King is coming to you, gentle, and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’” 6And the disciples went and did just as Jesus had directed them, 7 and brought the donkey and the colt, and laid on them their garments, on which He sat.”
A colt: Mark 11:2-7, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, on which no one yet has ever sat; untie it and bring it here. 3 “And if anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ you say, ‘The Lord has need of it’; and immediately he will send it back here.” 4 And they went away and found a colt tied at the door outside in the street; and they untied it. 5 And some of the bystanders were saying to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” 6 And they spoke to them just as Jesus had told them, and they gave them permission. 7 And they brought the colt to Jesus and put their garments on it; and He sat upon it.”
A colt: Luke 19:30, “Go into the village opposite you, in which as you enter you will find a colt tied, on which no one yet has ever sat; untie it, and bring it here.”A young donkey (i.e., a colt):
A colt: John 12:14-15, “Jesus, finding a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written, ‘Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your King is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.’”
There is no contradiction. Matthew 21:2-7 tells us that there was both a donkey and a colt. Mark, Luke, and John focus on the colt only, Mark and Luke mentioning that no one had ever sat upon it. Mark and Luke focus on this detail while Matthew and John focus on prophetic fulfillment (Matthew 21:4-5). Logically, if there are two animals, then there is also, at least, one animal. To say there was one does not mean there weren’t two. This is not a verbal game. It is an issue of logic. Remember, the writers of the gospels wrote for a purpose. It was not to recount a chronologically precise account in minute details. It was to convey the validity of Christ. The fact that Mark, Luke, and John only mention the colt does not mean there is a contradiction any more than saying that Frank and Joe came to my house last night, but today I tell a friend about what Joe said last night and don’t mention Frank.
Zechariah 9:9 is the scripture that Matthew refers to. It says, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; he is just and endowed with salvation, humble, and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” We can see that Matthew includes both animals as was prophesied in Zechariah. Matthew quotes the passage fully and emphasizes detailed fulfillment. On the other hand, while pointing to the same passage, John cites the prophecy in a shorter form, allowing him to mention the episode briefly and move on without hitting every detail of the fulfillment.
Why would both be needed if Jesus only rode one into Jerusalem? The simple answer is that the colt was young and still attached to the mother, and vice versa. They would travel together as a mother and offspring naturally would among many animal species.
Finally, the disciples did not steal the colt. Matthew states that the person who owned the animals would send them after the disciples stated that “The Lord has need of them.” This means it was a voluntary action of the owners of the animals. Certainly, Jesus would not advocate stealing.
