Something greater than Solomon is here!

https://odb.org/2025/05/27/wow-2

Luke 11:27–32 (NIV): 27 As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, “Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.”
28 He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”
29 As the crowds increased, Jesus said, “This is a wicked generation. It asks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. 30 For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation. 31 The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom; and now something greater than Solomon is here. 32 The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and now something greater than Jonah is here.

The story goes that the Queen of the South, the Queen of Sheba, travelled from far to Jerusalem to test the wisdom of Solomon and was impressed by not only his wisdom but also his wealth. The bible did not suggest that she eventually married Solomon, but Ethiopian legends tell of their marriage, and from their union, she bore Solomon a son, Menelik 1, who became the great king of Ethiopia. We must not confuse the Queen of the South here with the Queen of the South Seas Nyai Roro Kidul, a powerful supernatural and spiritual figure in Javanese culture and Indonesian mythology, who is believed to control the seas in the Indonesian archipelago and thus a source of life and prosperity to the fishermen of the nation.

Jesus Christ in Luke 11 mentioned that now something greater than Solomon is here, referring to Himself as the Second Yahweh, the Son of God part of the Holy Trinity. Of course, in retrospect, it is obvious to us who has the knowledge now that God Himself is greater than any human ever lived, even Solomon whose wisdom was bestowed by God anyway.

We live in a special season of life, the time when Jesus has revealed Himself to us as the Word who was there at the beginning with God and was God. He is God in the flesh, the Immanuel. To live out life as an example to us as we traversed the pages of the Gospel, seeing God personified in Christ, His beloved Son. His mission was, of course, not to just teach and lead by example but to die on the cross for our sins. With His resurrection, He defeated the sting of sin, which is death. With Him, though we may die, we live. He is our Hope of Glory. Our salvation and redeemer.

Always remember, though, that greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4). He is greater than Solomon and Jonah and also the devil! There is no challenge and no temptation in life that we can not overcome because we have Christ in our lives, living in us. “Be bold and courageous, for I am with you wherever you go,” the LORD said this to Joshua before, and He says it to each and every one of us today! Amen!