After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. ²⁹ As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them,“Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it.’” ³² Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?” They replied, “The Lord needs it.” – Luke 19: 28-34

Palm/Passion Sunday reminds us how Jesus Christ came to save us from our sins by dying on the cross in our place. Jesus’ mission methodology, from the beginning through his disciples and the donkey story, remains unchanging. The disciples are Jesus’ hands and feet, sending them on errands to fulfil what He came to earth to do and the world He would use them for when He left.

Palm/Passion Sunday reminds us that Jesus came to ‘untie’ us from the shackles of death and sin, and as His disciples, His mission methodology, we need to have a relationship with Him. Let us bear in mind that, in disappointment with their expectation of a mighty warrior-king to drive out the Romans, many in the crowds who hail Jesus as king this Sunday will be crying out for his crucifixion by Friday. Today’s practical reflection is to ask, “Where do we see ourselves in the Palm/Passion Sunday story?”

Palm/Passion Sunday story records various human responses to Jesus — ‘from faith and jubilant praise to mockery, hostility and violence.’ As we go through the Holy Week, the Palm/Passion Sunday story reminds us of God’s love, Who needs us to save us, to untie us, and use us, bearing in mind our ‘human responses, of human blindness, weakness, and hardness of heart.’ Palm/Passion Sunday invites us to ride on a mission with Jesus, to follow Him on His search for the salvation of souls.

Beloved, what have you got tied up today that God wants to use? We can be tied down by guilt, anxiety, obsessions, addictions, social media, smartphones, the need to forgive, and other concerns that easily weigh us down. Palm/Passion Sunday calls us to a mission ride with Jesus to untie the sinners from perishing.

Marriage and home are not free from being tied up by different world challenges in fulfilling God’s purpose and plans. Marriage is God’s idea; a healthy marriage is built on Jesus Christ and His teachings. In the book of Genesis, the Bible explains that a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. God instituted marriage after God made the first woman and entrusted this remarkable gift to the man. Two persons becoming one new entity (Gen 2:24). For God to use our home and marriage for companionship, a close relationship between husband and wife; for procreation, with children as a blessing from God, and raised in a God-fearing home; and to avoid sexual and immoral practices, especially sex outside marriage, we need to untie it from anything contrary to God’s idea essential for a healthy society.

How about our money, time, talents, skills, and leadership? Are they all tied up for other things for personal gains and desires, so there is none for the Lord and His mission? What Apostle Paul told the Corinthians resonates with the Palm/Passion Sunday story, which states that we have nothing that we did not receive, including our donkeys of marriage, money, time, talent, and leadership skills. Our talent or ability is strictly a gift from God to us. Our willingness as Christians to untie our abilities and give them back to the Lord points to the decline of churches and morality in our nations.

Beloved, what have you got tied up to? Is your time, marriage, theology, and leadership tied up to please the world, its greed, and immorality, which all amount to vanity? Are you tied up and occupied with other priorities of lesser importance to save sinners from perishing? Palm/Passion Sunday story is about our repentance and willingness to untie everything that tied us and give them back to Jesus Christ for His use.