Father and Joe

Father and Joe is a podcast series of a continuing conversation about struggles and successes of being close to God. Father Boniface provides spiritual direction through problems of daily life. According to statistics of the average American's church habits - We went to church when we were forced to but somewhere along the way, we drifted away. The ultimate goal of this podcast is to help us get back to church, regardless of what faith you hold, and create a stronger union with God.

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Father and Joe

Father and Joe E454: Hosanna to Crucify — Fear, Power, and How Crowds Turn

March 24, 2026 • Father Boniface Hicks and Joseph Rockey Jr

0:00 | 19:00

How can a society move from celebrating Jesus as Messiah to accepting (or even demanding) His crucifixion—within days? Joe Rockey and Father Boniface Hicks pick up the thread from the previous episode and go deeper into the forces that make moral collapse feel “normal”: self-interest, fear, groupthink, and the quiet pressure of power structures.

Father frames a key clarification: it’s not certain the Palm Sunday crowd and the “crucify him” crowd were the exact same people—Jerusalem was flooded with pilgrims for Passover. But even those who loved Jesus still faced a terrifying reality: Rome’s violence was real, and even the apostles fled when things became dangerous. The conversation turns practical: if corruption can become invisible from the inside, how do we train ourselves to resist the crowd, keep Scripture speaking clearly, and stay close to people with integrity—so we don’t breathe “putrid air” so long we stop noticing it?

Key Ideas

Palm Sunday’s contrast (Hosanna → Passion) is real, even if the crowds weren’t identical.

Fear is a powerful silencer: when violence is credible, even loyal followers often retreat.

Jesus didn’t present as a worldly power figure (no army, no weapons), so the “little ones” recognized Him—but lacked power to defend Him.

Groupthink pulls people downstream; self-interest (status, honor, money, security) keeps them there.

Resistance becomes possible when we: (1) honor courageous witnesses, (2) let the Gospel keep challenging our rationalizations, and (3) surround ourselves with high-integrity people who keep the air “fresh.”

Scripture Mentioned (no links)

Palm Sunday readings (Triumphal Entry + Passion narrative)

Matthew 7:3–5 (beam/splinter)

References to the apostles fleeing during the Passion narrative

Links & References (official/source only)

Dr. Jordan B. Peterson (official site):
https://www.jordanbpeterson.com/

Pope Benedict XVI (official Vatican profile):
https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en.html

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Tags (comma-separated)

Father and Joe, Joe Rockey, Father Boniface Hicks, Palm Sunday, Passion narrative, Holy Week, Hosanna, crucify him, crowds, groupthink, fear, courage, self interest, power structures, corruption, public opinion, moral courage, integrity, apostles, discipleship, Rome, persecution, Pharisees, scribes, humility, resistance, conscience, truth, Gospel, Pope Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth, Jordan Peterson, beam in your eye, Matthew 7:3-5, virtue, repentance, conversion, community, faithful witness