“We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:6)

In today’s society, everyone wants to be an individual. But today we are reminded that “We all” are like sheep at times. Just following the flock wherever it may go; all so we aren’t left alone and isolated. As we get older we may think that we are less sheepish as we become more established and refined. Except the reality is that we just end up following other more refined sheep. But today’s verse isn’t all about blindly following the crowd, it’s actually more about where the crowd is going and how easily we (like sheep) can be led astray. Isaiah describes a truth that we don’t really want to think about. That is, we have all done things sheepishly at one time or another. We have made choices that serve ourselves and our own flesh, as the Apostle Paul would say. And although Isaiah may not have completely understood this prophesy, God has laid the iniquity of all our repented sins on Christ Jesus at the cross. In this, we lay the foundation of our Christian beliefs with Jesus as the cornerstone. God has raised up His son, and He will do the same for all His believers. This is the promise and everlasting good news of the gospel. Amen! So where do we go from here? It’s actually quite simple. If we are human beings, than we all have sinned and been the sheep mentioned in this verse. But if we have faith in our Savior as our Lord and King, if we repent and turn from our “own” evil ways, if we fix our hearts and eyes on Christ Jesus – Than God has taken the iniquities of us all. He has redeemed us in His act on the cross, and made us new again. So today we are no longer just sheep in the flock, we are each sheep that have been saved by the Shepard.