John 12:12-13 “On the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord.”
In recent days, I have heard Christians lament about our national decline with a sense of surprise. While they are right to be saddened about our current situation, the hardening of our national heart has been far from rapid. It has occurred over the course of decades and its speed is dwarfed by the terrible transition that occurred following John 12.
Consider the few days that transpired between the verses above and the subsequent verses that describe Jesus’ crucifixion. Only a few days separate the day that Jesus was hailed as King and the day that he was condemned as a dangerous criminal. That is a change of heart that happened with lightning speed.
What caused such a change? It was likely a mix of complacency and hostility in the hearts of believers. The same people that had hailed Him previously either passively allowed the tide to turn against him or actively prompted the transition themselves. They may have done so because they allowed their hearts to be hardened by those around them. They may have done so because following Him had made them increasingly vulnerable or uncomfortable. They may have done so because they were fearful to speak up against the prevailing thought. They may have done so because they thought they were powerless to stop the widespread change of heart. They may have done so because they had been convinced that their support of Him would make them seem counter-cultural or even dangerous. What makes it so surprising is that it happened in a few short days. Regardless of the speed, they were complicit in the crucifixion of Christ.
Change can happen very quickly, even change that can cause the condemnation of Christ. Whether it happens over the course of days or decades, it follows the same dangerous blueprint – a mix of Christian complacency and hostility. PLEASE PRAY THAT AMERCIAN CHRISTIANS WOULD RECOGNIZE AND REPENT OF OUR COMPLICITY IN THE CURRENT CULTURAL CONDEMNATION OF CHRIST. The change has been on our watch, and our complacency and hostility is largely to blame.