Why do we tend to want to follow the crowd?

Exodus 23:2-3“You must not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you are called to testify in a dispute, do not be swayed by the crowd to twist justice. And do not slant your testimony in favor of a person just because that person is poor.”

Matthew 9:9-13As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed him. Later, Matthew invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with such scum?” When Jesus heard this, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.” Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”

Peer pressure often comes from a group whose acceptance we may want—strong in number and in persuasion. We might conform in an effort to belong. During the party at Matthew’s house the night he decided to follow Jesus, there were multiple forms of peer pressure in action: The Pharisees wanted to pressure Jesus and his disciples into rejecting Matthew’s friends. Matthew’s friends came to the party due to the positive pressure of Matthew’s relationship and curiosity about the one who had so radically changed him. Jesus was practicing the peer pressure of acceptance toward Matthew’s friends, while at the same time putting pressure on the Pharisees to recognize their priorities were wrong.

Matthew 18:7“What sorrow awaits the world, because it tempts people to sin. Temptations are inevitable, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting.”

Romans 12:2Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Peer pressure tempts us to conform to be like everyone else. The biblical use of the term “world” indicates that cultural pressure on us is real, though it’s often difficult to identify and hard to resist. We need to be alert and responsive to the inner pressure of the Holy Spirit who is doing the transforming work in us.

Numbers 25:1-2While the Israelites were camped at Acacia Grove, some of the men defiled themselves by having sexual relations with local Moabite women. These women invited them to attend sacrifices to their gods, so the Israelites feasted with them and worshiped the gods of Moab.

Deuteronomy 12:30“Do not fall into the trap of following their customs and worshiping their gods. Do not inquire about their gods, saying, ‘How do these nations worship their gods? I want to follow their example.’”

2 Peter 2:18They brag about themselves with empty, foolish boasting. With an appeal to twisted sexual desires, they lure back into sin those who have barely escaped from a lifestyle of deception.

Negative peer pressure is an intriguing trap, offering attractive short-term benefits. It tempts us to enjoy small rewards today at the expense of greater rewards in the future.