Why Do We Do What Others Expect Us to Do?

I have been reading the account of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem which happened a little under a week before His crucifixion. It seems that people were caught up in a frenzy in welcoming Him. Could some of these same people have been calling for His crucifixion five days later?

I wonder if there is a lot of crowd psychology or mass peer pressure that causes many people to act and even feel a certain way. This may have nothing to do with how well they actually know what's going on. They react to their emotions which are being created by the crowd around them. Thus, a crowd who would have called for Jesus to be released from prison will actually call for Him to be crucified because they are influenced by the others around them.

Have you ever been to a concert where the fervor for the band will build and build until it is out of hand? The security guards come to protect these performers who have fostered this devotion but don't know how to control it. They run out of the building before they are torn apart by their adoring fans. Would any of these people think that was reasonable in a calm setting?

Do you think this is a strong reason why people who call themselves Christians find themselves in some of the worst sins? Are they simply acting out what the world around them expects? Is it reasonable to tell people they need to protect themselves if they are to have any semblance of a victorious Christian life?

I think most Christians don't protect themselves. They don't monitor their own actions. They allow tv and movies into their own homes that represent smut. They talk the language of the street and make the same jokes as those who don't know Christ. They, then, are surprised to find themselves acting like those around them. They are acting like they are expected to act--just like the rest of the world.

Where would you find yourself on a scale from 1 to 10 with ten being totally immersed in Christlike activity and 1 being around Christlike activity only when you come to church? Do you think you are acting like the world expects you to act or like Jesus expects you to act?

Just a thought . . .