All of us like sheep have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way;
But the Lord has caused the iniquity
of us all to fall on Him. Isaiah 53:6

Sheep have been unfairly “branded” with the stupid label. The primary reason for this lies in their flocking behavior which causes sheep to group together and play follow the leader, at times to tragic results. Since nature hasn’t equipped them with great individual defensive abilities, their best bet is to join together in a group. We also tend to value the individual over the group, but a sheep on its own is vulnerable to being preyed upon.

The verse refers to the passion of the Servant, our savior Jesus Christ, who suffered vicariously for our sins. His punishment obtained well being for us.

While we are all vulnerable on our own to temptation and being misled, this does not absolve us of our responsibility for becoming informed through scripture and prayer so that we might better defend ourselves against the onslaught of the enemy. At the same time, the body of Christ must join together to pool resources and search the word for edification and reproof.