Matthew 21:11 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

And the multitude said, This is Jesus, &c.— The multitude is the appellation which the sacred historians commonly give to Christ'sfriends; wherefore, as they are here said to have called him the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee, we may suppose that they did it with a view to mortify his enemies; as if they had said, "You have always affirmed that no prophet, no Messiah, can arise out of Galilee: what is your opinion now?"—Jesus rode directly to the temple,but did not drive the buyers and sellers out this first day; for St. Mark expressly tells us, Mark 11:11 that it was evening by the time he got thither, and had looked round on all things: whence we learn, that the market in the temple, which he intended to prohibit, was over. It seems he stayed in Jerusalem but a little while. Having made his public appearance in the metropolis, received the title of Messiah openly from the multitude, and surveyed the temple, he left the city without doing any thing, to the great discouragement of the throng who had come in with him, expecting that he was immediately to have laid hold on the reins of government.