And as they led him away, they seized one Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus. And there followed him a great multitude of the people, and of women who bewailed and lamented him. But Jesus turning to them said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold, the days are coming when they will say, 'Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never gave suck!' Then they will begin to say to the mountains, 'Fall on us'; and to the hills, 'Cover us.' For if they do this when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?"
Luke 23:26–31 (RSV)
The priests, scribes, Pharisees, and lawyers of Jesus' day are too convenient a scapegoat. We lay the whole guilt of Jesus' suffering and death on them, excusing ourselves of blame.
True, they were the ones who should have known that Jesus was the Messiah they had longed to see. They were steeped in the Scriptures and promises of God. They were at the end of ages when the fulfillment of God's Word was at hand.
They are due a measure of charity as they were the greenwood. They were hindered by the very faith which should have rejoiced in Jesus, but they could not. Jesus was real to them. His words and deeds were powerful. They knew God would one-day act, but they refuse to believe it could be in Jesus.
We have no such excuse. They were zealous for the Lord. Their zeal would blind them to Jesus. Ours is an age where nearly all at least have heard of Jesus. Many confess Him to be God's Son, yet live our daily lives are often indifferent to His call to follow Him.
We are the dry wood. What will become of Christ's Church should persecution come upon us? An indifferent faith will snap, shatter, and be consumed by the fires of persecution.