Take my yoke upon you – my yoke is easy
 

“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
 

These words of Jesus create a great tension: they speak of bearing his burden, of taking up his yoke. This implies taking on responsibility, fulfilling pious obligations, allowing oneself to be harnessed to the cart, relinquishing personal freedom and rejecting individuality. In today’s social climate, such calls essentially strike at a taboo: submitting to another’s goal, obeying a master – that sounds very suspicious indeed! How often have we seen cases of abuse, heard of destructive dependencies, encountered people whose naivety was brutally exploited, upon whom a pious straitjacket was imposed.

Yet in the very same breath, Jesus speaks of his gentleness and humility, of how his burden is light and that by bearing his yoke we find rest for our souls.

At first glance, this seems a glaring contradiction. In my view, these words of Jesus are typical of him; they are a genuine provocation, a massive challenge.

Following him does not come cheap; it is not a recipe for an easy path to happiness. The apparent contradictions in his words dissolve when one takes up Jesus’ challenge and walks with him. If one dares to truly let these words of Jesus sink in, then one experiences a glimpse of our reality as it truly is. A liberating disillusionment: even when we think we are sovereign and free – in truth we are governed by numerous dependencies that very much do constrain us.

The serpent in Paradise promised Adam and Eve divine independence if they ate of the forbidden fruit. Reality led the two to a bitter realisation: the discovery of their nakedness, the embarrassment of their vulnerability. From then on, they had to hide who they really were.

Jesus is fair and loving when he points out the reality to his disciples: “In the world you will have trouble!” (John 16:33). Lent 2026: We live – especially right now – in a world where one has good reason to be afraid. The powerful of our time build their empires on a system of lies and fear. Anyone who dares to speak the truth is silenced, discredited, banned, attacked and locked away. Anyone who speaks the truth is branded a traitor.

It is abysmal and appalling that certain religious, indeed even ‘Christian’, groups also support these terrible developments and attempt to legitimise the leaders of these movements with seemingly biblical tenets of faith.

At the same time, our society is increasingly losing its cohesion due to social media. Disrespect, arrogance, a lack of restraint and the growing inability to treat one another with respect are increasingly defining the atmosphere.

Alongside external threats, the fears and lack of freedom within us are no small matter. A society lacking in empathy breeds loneliness, exclusion and self-doubt.

The question these days is: Does Jesus have a relevant answer to all this? I do not mean a moralising answer, a head-shaking condemnation of others’ failings whilst simultaneously elevating one’s own authority. But rather a liberating, healing, uplifting, forgiving and true answer?

The leading Jewish teachers in Jesus’ day essentially had only one answer to the social tensions: The Law of Moses must be followed to the letter; whoever fails to do so is completely disqualified. Radical, with no ifs or buts, ice-cold. Even today, in some Christian circles, there is such an elitist, merciless mentality of living as judges and arbiters.

But what is Jesus’ answer? It is an invitation to come under his yoke. What distinguishes his yoke from the burdens that the world (without God) offers us? From what merciless, self-centred religiosity demands?

Under his gentle yoke, we are allowed to be and remain who we truly are: with our hunger, our longing, our need to be loved and to be able to love, the freedom that our weaknesses and mistakes do not lead to disqualification and the end of relationships.

But: love is also a yoke! Love means commitment. No fleeing from conflict. Love also means putting up with ourselves as we were created by God. Love means giving up wearing masks. Love means the decision to put up with one another and not to walk away. And love also means not distorting the truth. No acceptance of so-called alternative facts, which are not facts at all.

Yes, love also means a willingness to carry the cross. That is and remains difficult. But what is harder: submitting to the rules of a merciless, cold society, living in a system of lies and betrayal – or taking upon oneself the burdens and hardships under the yoke of Jesus?

Yes, Jesus’ invitation to follow him and our journey through Lent have something in common with today’s Bible passage: it is difficult and yet full of joy. It is like invigorating, inspiring music performed in an unromantic setting – much like a church concert in a war-damaged church. But the message of the music is powerful and is not diminished by the damage to the church.

In this spirit, I wish us all a blessed Lent.

Jürgen Wick