“It’s your thang; do what you wanna do!” That was the music of my generation. It was radical, it was hip, new and cool for
us teenagers. It was a cry of rebellion
against the older generation, and we loved it.
But as a new Christian at age 15, I couldn’t
help having this nagging question – “How does this fit with the Scriptures?”
I was all for independence, and I did move far
away from home, go to places my parents had never gone, and followed a career
path they did not forge. However, I was
never “on board” with the current culture’s “Do your own thing” protest. It was mixed with something foul, though I
couldn’t put my finger on what.
This morning, the day before Easter Sunday, I
read this
verse:
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was
crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed. 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 53:5-6
There is the answer to my question. “Each
of us has turned to our own way” sounds awfully close to “Do
your own thing,” don’t you think?
What’s wrong with that? What is wrong is in the meaning of the word “iniquity.” Iniquity is not innocent independence, as of
a young person reaching maturity, but it means being a law unto yourself. It is an attitude before it is an action. In ancient Hebrew times it meant to “go
astray” or “deviate from the right path.”
In Jesus’ time it meant “the condition of one without law” or “lawlessness.”
I was right to reject this attitude. This was the very attitude which caused Jesus
to die on the cross. The attitude of “lawlessness”
– an extreme version of “do your own thing” – is the root of all sin, and it
carries a steep penalty. Praise God that
Jesus chose to take that penalty himself.
This is what Easter weekend is all about – we human
beings went astray but then Jesus stepped in and took the punishment.
But the weekend is not over yet! Sunday’s coming!
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