EDITORIAL: Fragile

Despite our preferred impression that we are strong, resolute individuals who think things out for ourselves, act logically, don't follow the crowd... the reality is that we are but human, and there is a strong tendency within human nature to be fickle and follow the crowd. Is. 53:6 describes our sinfulness like this: "We each like sheep have gone astray [sheep go astray because of their visible tendency to follow the flock they are in]; we have turned everyone to his own way". We each sin in our own unique and personal ways; but we do so because we follow the flock. And the context of Isaiah 53 is that the

crucifixion of the Lord was necessary exactly because of this. He was the ultimate strong man psychologically, who ultimately went the Father's way when no other human ever did.

Biblical history is full of examples of people following the crowd and thereby ending up doing sinful things which their better judgment would tell them not to do:

At least two of Joseph's brothers were against throwing him into the pit, and their comments to each other when they later meet him in Egypt suggest that hardly any of them really wanted to do what they did. But the power