Solomon And The Queen of Sheba
Our first reading, from 1 Kings, tells us the story of the Queen of Sheba, having “heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD,” coming to Jerusalem to test him with riddles. She came to him with a large caravan of camels bearing spices, gold, and precious stones. She was not able to stump King Solomon. She was blown away by his wisdom, the bounty of his banquets, the fashionable appearance of his officials, the ceremonial aspects of his feasts and the burnt offerings of the temple of the LORD. Breathlessly she exclaimed, “the half had not told me; your wisdom and prosperity surpass the report which I heard. Blessed are these servants of yours, who…listen to your wisdom. Blessed be the LORD your God, who has delighted in you and set you on the throne of Israel. Because the LORD loved Israel for ever, He has made you king.” (1 Kings 10:7,8,9)
Where did this queen come from? The best historical guesses are from Eritrea or Yemen on the Red Sea. The goods that she brought on her camels suggest that this trip was either a commercial venture or a bringing of tribute to King Solomon, who ruled from the Euphrates to Egypt. But clearly, she was also interested in the source of wisdom of this king and in the God of Israel whom he worshipped. Take note of “the name of the LORD,” the burnt offerings she observed in the magnificent temple of the LORD, and the blessings she gave to the “LORD your God” who “delighted in Solomon and set him upon the throne of David.” Jesus said of her in Luke 11:31: “The queen of the South will arise at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon (3000 proverbs, 1 Kings 4:32), and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.”
One Greater Than Solomon
Jesus, the New Solomon, the Prince of Peace, the Beloved of the Lord, in today’s gospel, cracked through the traditions of the elders which encrusted the Torah. The Pharisees and scribes scolded Jesus that His disciples did not follow the traditional ritual washings before meals. Jesus responded with the words of Isaiah 29:13: “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.” Then he summoned the crowd and said words that we also need to attend to: “Hear Me, all of you and understand!” It is not what we eat or how we ritually cleanse our hands that matters. The evil that comes from our hearts, our original sin defiles us. This includes all the mortal and venial sins we can name.
As the Queen of Sheba questioned Solomon about his proverbs, so the disciples questioned Jesus about this parable. Patiently, He reiterated that all foods are clean. “What comes out of the man, that is what defiles him” (Mk 7:20). The apostles were given the gift of Jesus’ parables and the ability to understand them. Jesus called them the secrets of the kingdom of heaven. (Matt 13:11)
The Solution, A Savior
But the Torah could not quench the evil bubbling up from within our hearts.
It was the gift of the Holy Spirit, given to the apostles at Pentecost, which showed them that it was through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, through His death and resurrection that God provided the reconciliation of God and man, and the solution to Jesus’ parable. Through baptism we are joined to Jesus Christ. St. Paul tells us that “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come.”(2 Cor 5:17) This sacrament fulfilled the prophecy of Ezekiel 36:25-26: “I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all our uncleanliness…. A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you.”
At baptism we receive sanctifying grace and the three theological virtues of faith, hope and charity. Like the Queen of Sheba, we should be breathless and full of praise to the New Solomon. Like the apostles, we need to listen to the Holy Spirit, the Giver of wisdom and understanding.
