Acts 14:4 But the multitude of the city was divided; and part held with the Jews, and part with the apostles.
There is no doubt that these are extraordinary and often confusing days. The truth is that anyone who is going to be a uniter has to define what we are to be united around and has to draw distinctions. Such a person needs to say, “This is true. This is false. Follow me.”
There are divisions today that I never would have thought of. For instance, wearing a mask or not wearing a mask seems to be a political statement now! We all seem to want unity but we are a divided people.
Is Jesus Christ a uniter or a divider? Let’s look at Acts 14 to answer that question. Acts 14 is the story of Paul and Barnabas going to a place called Iconium. The Bible says of them, “That they went both together into the synagogue of the Jews.” The Bible continues, “And so spake, that a great multitude both of the Jews and also of the Greeks believed.” So Paul and Barnabas preached in the synagogue to a number of people, Jews and Greek, and many of both groups believed the good news that they was sharing.
Verse 2 says, “But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles, and made their minds evil affected against the brethren.” What are the two groups of people in that sentence? The two groups are not Jews and Gentiles but rather believers and unbelievers. The issue here was not how they were born but if they were born again.
Verse 4 says, “But the multitude of the city was divided.” The issue in question here was not ethnicity, social position, nationality, or other commonly recognized divisions. This is not a question of something that God decided like your gender or race. This is a question of what each person had decided in regards to the Lord Jesus Christ. And on this, the people were divided by the message of Christ.
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” While we may all instinctively know that there is a God, Jesus is ultimately the fault line, the division. If I am to be a follower of Jesus, it means that I have to begin with what defines my unity with other people. Is my unity primarily based on a social class, preferences, alma mater, or a club?
Jesus Christ is the legitimate fault line for all time, all history. He is our unifier because He is our head. In days where confusion and anxiety reign, consider where you are with Jesus Christ and base all your other fault lines upon that.