|
|
The Bishop of Exeter, the Rt. Rev’d Dr Mike Harrison
Letting Go Rather Than Giving-Up for Lent
Bishop Mike shares the following message for Lent 2026:
“Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 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.” Matthew 11.28-30
To begin with, a grace-ful Lent to you. A previous Spiritual Director commended the above text to me for Lent – noting how the first step is “Come to me” – so we’ve got to intentionally make our way to Jesus – this involves commitment. What is it to come to Jesus? To sit at his feet, listening, perhaps. And who qualifies to be a follower of Jesus? Who qualifies? Well, “all who labour and are heavy laden”. Our very burden is what qualifies us to come.
Jesus encourages us to come to Him by telling us what he’s like. There’s only one place in the scriptures where Jesus directly reveals what his heart is like – and it’s here in this passage. He says I am gentle and humble in heart. Now gentle isn’t wishy washy, it’s not weak, gentleness is restrained strength –coming to Jesus is like being a little bird alighting on an insulated 10,000 volt overhead cable – we have no idea – but rest assured, the power here is gentle. And humble – actually the word used is tapienos, lowly, the point being Jesus is accessible, no hoops to jump through, no minimum bar, no exceptions, right here, right now, on our level.
Notice how Jesus says “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me”. So, wait a minute - what does Jesus offer us if we’re tired? Not a break, not a holiday, not so much as one night in a hotel in Woolacombe, but a yoke. Strange you may say, but Jesus’ listeners would have known that every rabbi, every teacher, had a yoke—you could replace that word with “school.” A yoke was a way that they interpreted the Scriptures and sat under the teachings of God. Jesus says embrace my yoke – Enter my school, walk my way. And yoke would also have been understood in relation to oxen being yoked together. The young ox when first yoked jerks and strains to get out of the yoke, or rushes on and chokes and chafes himself. The young ox has to learn to work with the other ox, usually an experienced ox who shows how to wear the yoke easily and lightly, pulling the brunt of the weight and leading the younger ox so they are not bruised or worn out. Jesus is suggesting here that we need to be yoked to him, in humble submission, learning to live and think and work in concert with him.
That means dropping any other yoke except Jesus’s. It’s impossible to take on the yoke of Jesus if we’re yoked by the straps of resentment, anger or grievance. It’s impossible to take on the yoke of Jesus if we’re already bound to the collar of being an indignant consumer, tired out complainer or sulking child. So, a good question for Lent might be: ‘Is the burden I need to commit to letting go in order to assume Jesus’ yoke?’
Letting Go Rather Than Giving-Up for Lent
Bishop Mike shares the following message for Lent 2026:
“Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 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.” Matthew 11.28-30
To begin with, a grace-ful Lent to you. A previous Spiritual Director commended the above text to me for Lent – noting how the first step is “Come to me” – so we’ve got to intentionally make our way to Jesus – this involves commitment. What is it to come to Jesus? To sit at his feet, listening, perhaps. And who qualifies to be a follower of Jesus? Who qualifies? Well, “all who labour and are heavy laden”. Our very burden is what qualifies us to come.
Jesus encourages us to come to Him by telling us what he’s like. There’s only one place in the scriptures where Jesus directly reveals what his heart is like – and it’s here in this passage. He says I am gentle and humble in heart. Now gentle isn’t wishy washy, it’s not weak, gentleness is restrained strength –coming to Jesus is like being a little bird alighting on an insulated 10,000 volt overhead cable – we have no idea – but rest assured, the power here is gentle. And humble – actually the word used is tapienos, lowly, the point being Jesus is accessible, no hoops to jump through, no minimum bar, no exceptions, right here, right now, on our level.
Notice how Jesus says “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me”. So, wait a minute - what does Jesus offer us if we’re tired? Not a break, not a holiday, not so much as one night in a hotel in Woolacombe, but a yoke. Strange you may say, but Jesus’ listeners would have known that every rabbi, every teacher, had a yoke—you could replace that word with “school.” A yoke was a way that they interpreted the Scriptures and sat under the teachings of God. Jesus says embrace my yoke – Enter my school, walk my way. And yoke would also have been understood in relation to oxen being yoked together. The young ox when first yoked jerks and strains to get out of the yoke, or rushes on and chokes and chafes himself. The young ox has to learn to work with the other ox, usually an experienced ox who shows how to wear the yoke easily and lightly, pulling the brunt of the weight and leading the younger ox so they are not bruised or worn out. Jesus is suggesting here that we need to be yoked to him, in humble submission, learning to live and think and work in concert with him.
That means dropping any other yoke except Jesus’s. It’s impossible to take on the yoke of Jesus if we’re yoked by the straps of resentment, anger or grievance. It’s impossible to take on the yoke of Jesus if we’re already bound to the collar of being an indignant consumer, tired out complainer or sulking child. So, a good question for Lent might be: ‘Is the burden I need to commit to letting go in order to assume Jesus’ yoke?’
