
If you have spent time on a farm, you may know what a yoke is. Yokes were essential to farming before there were tractors. As a farmer, you would put a yoke around two cows, or oxen, which then pulled a plow. The plow then tilled the ground to prepare it for planting the seeds necessary to raise a crop. If the soil is not plowed, seeds cannot take root, and there will be no crops to harvest. So, the key to a healthy crop starts with the yoke and two healthy cows or oxen.
Farmers understand that you should never tie a healthy ox to an unhealthy one. Why? Because the healthy ox will end up doing all the work. In addition to pulling the plow, it will also have to pull the unhealthy ox. This not only results in crooked and unevenly plowed rows, but eventually, the healthy ox will die due to the extra strain.
In 2 Corinthians 6:14, Paul tells us that, like oxen, we are not to be unequally yoked to those who don’t have the same faith we do.
Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?
What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them and I will be their God, and they will be my people (2 Corinthians 6:14,16).”
Paul’s reason for this instruction becomes even clearer when we keep reading. In verse 16, he reminds us that we are the temple of the living God. He quotes the Old Testament to emphasize God’s covenant promise: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.”
This serves as a powerful reminder that we are yoked to God Himself through His commitment to us. To be yoked with those who walk in opposition to Him pulls us away from His presence and purposes. Paul’s warning is not about isolation but about alignment. While we are called to love everyone, in relationships where influence is deepest—such as marriage or business partnerships—we should walk alongside those who are moving in the same spiritual direction.
Jesus also spoke of a yoke — but with a different invitation. In Matthew 11:28–30, He said: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, 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.”
When Jesus says, “Take my yoke upon you,” He’s inviting us into a relationship of learning, strength, and rest. However, His words also carry a deeper echo. In Jeremiah 6:16, the prophet spoke similar words:
This is what the Lord says: ‘Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.’ But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’ (Jeremiah 6:16).
Jesus, referencing this history, is offering a renewed chance to walk in God’s way — to accept His yoke and find true rest. But just as in Jeremiah’s day, there are serious consequences to rejecting that offer. The destruction that followed Israel’s refusal serves as a sobering reminder of what happens when we turn from God’s invitation.
So here’s the contrast: Being unequally yoked drains and endangers our spiritual life. Being yoked with Christ brings rest, wisdom, and strength. Unlike the unhealthy ox, Jesus does the heavy lifting. He is gentle and humble, willing to guide and sustain us. He blesses us with His wisdom, His comfort, and His strength — not just to survive, but to flourish. Instead of adding to our heavy burden, we can find rest in Him. Not only are we blessed with a good partner as we plow our fields, but He also blesses us with His heavenly wisdom. His wisdom, comfort, guidance, and rest await every man who seeks His face. All we have to do is put on His yoke.
Have a great weekend.
Stephen L. Thomas
RTM