Unequally yoked?
Unequally yoked? You’ve heard this phrase before but what does it really mean? You do have resources outside of Sunday morning where you can go to unpack the meaning. Start with asking the Holy Spirit for guidance.
When you come across a word or phrase that stands out, instead of Wikipedia, do a word search on the Bible Gateway app. While it’s a little like playing with Alexa, and you may get weird results, if you read through the verses you may find yourself getting a broad picture or in this case nothing at all. Try one word, i.e. yoke.
The first reference I get is in Genesis 27 where yoke means an oppressive family member and next in Leviticus 26 - an oppressive government. In the Old Testament often yoke refers to the Law – the first five books Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The Israelites understood the Law as a fence that kept the wolves out and the flock from wandering off into a dangerous landscape.
The Holy Spirit makes the Law simple enough for a child to understand, one law sums up all the others. “Love the Lord with all our heart, soul, strength and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus makes it easy and light burden (Matt 11.29-30) by His Spirit - He is gentle and humble. Remember when it was easy to do the right thing?
Jesus uses agricultural images with an agricultural people, but perhaps you can still get the picture by taking a trip to a farm in West Virginia with your child(ren)? Literally or through a storybook. A yoke of two oxen (or mules) works best when they are going in the same direction and at the same pace. What's driving you or who's leading you? Unequally yoked means living a life with someone in a place where you have two guiding spirits, you will diverge instead of having unity. Remember - when you have one Spirit, life is just easier and sweeter.
Jesus said He came to fulfill the Law, and also to set us free to live by the Spirit - Romans 8. If this chapter is all you read in the New Testament, you will get the meat of Christianity. It begins with “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus . . .”
In John’s Gospel (Jesus bff and a mystic) is one of the most beautiful and well-known excerpts of the New Testament - “For God so loved the world that He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. For God didn’t send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. . . ” John 3.16-17.
This is not some myth. Read the introduction to Luke’s Gospel (the doctor). He spoke to and was read by eyewitnesses. Matthew and John were eyewitnesses. Paul’s letters were written in the lifespan of eyewitnesses of Jesus life and death. They all could have been easily exposed and dismissed. Doesn’t that make you wonder?
God is for you my friend and He will never leave you or stop pursuing you. If you let Him in, I can tell you he is the most faithful, trustworthy and loving friend I have ever known. He’s the real thing; the baseline for Truth. A good place to start before you make a lifetime commitment to a person.
