“There can be no doubt but that the multitude saw Jesus’ entry to the city in the light of this prophecy and greeted him as king. Now a king on a donkey was distinctive. The donkey was the mount of a man of peace, a merchant or a priest. A king might ride on a donkey on occasion, but he would be more likely to appear on a mighty warhorse. Zechariah’s prophecy saw Messiah as the Prince of peace. The Galilean disciples, now streaming up to Jerusalem for the Passover, knew that Jesus had done many mighty works. They had for a long time watched and waited for him to proclaim himself as the Messiah of their hopes. Now they saw him as doing so. He was riding into the capital in a way that fulfilled the prophecy. He was showing himself to be the Messiah. They did not stop to reflect that he was also proclaiming himself a man of peace and giving no countenance to their nationalistic fervour. They wanted a Messiah. And now they saw one.”

- Tyndale New Testament Commentary

“Jesus is King; but the earthly Jerusalem is too small and mean to contain his majesty. All nations are to be his. He is the Saviour of the world… [Jesus] turns our attention away from the political transformation of society to the spiritual transformation of the soul, which must precede it; the kingdom must first come to the human heart.”

- The Bible Speaks Today Commentary