What is the meaning of Acts 14:4? The people of the city were divided Acts 14:4 opens with, “The people of the city were divided.” Division is a frequent outcome whenever God’s truth confronts human hearts. • In Iconium, Paul and Barnabas had spoken “so effectively that a great number believed” (Acts 14:1), yet resistance quickly followed. • Jesus foretold such reactions: “Do you think that I have come to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division” (Luke 12:51). • Similar splits appear throughout John’s Gospel—“So a division occurred among the people because of Jesus” (John 7:43; 9:16; 10:19). • The book of Acts repeats the pattern: Thessalonica (Acts 17:4), Ephesus (Acts 19:9), and Rome (Acts 28:24). Whenever the gospel is proclaimed, neutrality evaporates; people must decide for or against Christ (Matthew 12:30). Some sided with the Jews Opposition in Iconium was led by unbelieving Jews (Acts 14:2). • Jealousy stirred many to resist the message, as in Pisidian Antioch: “When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and contradicted what Paul was saying” (Acts 13:45). • Paul later reminded the Thessalonians of “those Jews who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets…hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved” (1 Thessalonians 2:14-16). • This siding reveals the hardness of heart Isaiah described: “You will be ever hearing but never understanding” (Isaiah 6:9-10; echoed in Acts 28:26-27). • Yet God’s sovereignty remains: even rejection serves to push the gospel outward (Romans 11:11). and others with the apostles While some resisted, many embraced the truth and stood with Paul and Barnabas. • In the previous city, “All who were appointed for eternal life believed” (Acts 13:48); the same gracious calling was at work in Iconium. • Luke likens the gospel’s aroma to life for some, death for others (2 Corinthians 2:15-16). • Bereans “received the message with great eagerness” and “many believed” (Acts 17:11-12); Crispus and his household believed in Corinth (Acts 18:8). • Those who side with the apostles are in fact siding with Christ Himself: “Whoever listens to you listens to Me” (Luke 10:16). • Their faith brings new identity—“To all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12). summary Acts 14:4 shows that the gospel inevitably divides. In Iconium some clung to tradition and unbelief, while others embraced the apostles and the Savior they proclaimed. Scripture presents this split as normal whenever truth meets fallen hearts. For every resistant crowd there is also a believing remnant, demonstrating both human responsibility and God’s sovereign grace. |
    |