LIVING WATERS
For the proclamation of the Gospel and the edification of the Body of Christ
The Queen Who Came from the South
"The Queen of the South will rise up in judgment with the men of this generation, and will condemn them; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, more than Solomon is in this place" (Luke 11:31).
The comparison between Solomon and Jesus, on the one hand, and between the Queen of Sheba and the Jews in the days of the Lord, on the other, yields notable contrasts and very timely lessons.
The queen of Sheba came to Solomon to check what she had heard about his wisdom. When she was in front of him, she was not disappointed, because she was able to see her wisdom in answering each of his difficult questions, and furthermore, she was able to see how great his wealth was. (And it is that when Solomon had asked God for wisdom, God had also given him riches). As a consequence of what she heard and saw, the queen blessed God, and offered presents; Solomon, for her part, showered her with gifts.
Now, Jesus is greater than Solomon; therefore, the attitude of the Jews towards him must have been proportionately greater than that of the queen towards Solomon. If she came from afar to hear his wisdom, they must have gone to great lengths to hear Jesus (and not to hunt him down). If they had done that, they would not only have known his wisdom, but also his riches in his glory.
On the other hand, if she blessed God because of Solomon, how should they not bless God because of Jesus, whose glory is greater? Now, if the queen offered gifts to Solomon as an expression of her admiration, should they not offer themselves and even all that they had to the Lord Jesus? Had the Jews done so, they would have received the gifts of the true Solomon, to enrich them beyond what they could have given him. What tragic blindness theirs and ours, if we do not do much more than that remarkable woman did!
If we do not do more than she did, we will fall short of the Lord's expectations. What a reproach her words contain, for the Israelites of her time, and for us, the true Israel of God! We are not able to overcome the smallest obstacles to be with him, nor to bring him our smallest gifts. As a consequence, we do not know his riches, nor have we given him the opportunity to grant us his gifts.
May the Lord grant us the grace to repent, and may our repentance be such that it touches his heart and heals us of this evil. If not, on the day of judgment this woman will testify against us, saying: "You had a greater honor, but you despised it. I went to Solomon, who was only a figure and a shadow, but you had the True One, the reality of the things that Solomon showed me, but you did not go to him". Consecration requires radical decisions today, because tomorrow may be too late.