We like Sheep...

In this message, Pastor Jon walks us through Isaiah 53:6 — one of the most familiar and yet most profound verses in all of Scripture:

“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.”

Over the last few weeks, we’ve been studying the Servant Songs in Isaiah, seeing how God’s promised Servant would bring justice, light, and salvation — not by avoiding suffering, but by stepping into it. Isaiah 52:13–53:5 gives us a vivid, heartbreaking picture of this Servant who is exalted and yet afflicted, pierced and yet bringing peace, crushed and yet bringing healing.

Today’s passage slows everything down. Isaiah uses a simple image — sheep — to help us see ourselves clearly: wandering, stubborn, prone to go our own way. And yet, the Lord places our iniquity, our guilt, our wandering on Him — the Servant who stands in our place.

Throughout the message we trace this theme across the whole Bible:

The Day of Atonement and the scapegoat in Leviticus 16

Jesus’ own words in Mark 10:45

Paul’s reflections in Romans 3 and 7

Jesus the Good Shepherd in John 10

The ministry of reconciliation in 2 Corinthians 5

Peter’s echo of Isaiah 53 in 1 Peter 2

And all of it points to this main idea:

Jesus, the Servant, stood in our place and took the punishment for our sins while we went astray and turned to our own way.

If you’ve wandered, if you feel far from God, if you’re tired of going your own way — this passage is an invitation:

Return to the Shepherd.

Come to the One who laid down His life for the sheep.

Come to the One who brings peace, healing, and reconciliation.

Thanks for watching. If this message encouraged you, consider sharing it with someone who needs to be reminded of the Good Shepherd’s love for them.