Greater than Solomon

The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.

-Matthew 12:42

The scribes and pharisees asked Jesus to show them a sign.  They want Him to prove Himself to them.  Jesus had just called them out, “whoever is not with me is against me” (Matthew 12:30); “people will give account for every careless word they speak” (Matthew 12:36).  They would rather go on in their own pride and self-righteousness than repent.  They would rather ascribe the power they see so obviously before them through Jesus’ healing miracles to Satan (Matthew 12:24) than admit they are in the presence of the Son of God. 

Jesus doesn’t need to prove Himself to them.  The King of Kings, the Alpha and the Omega, the Lord of Heaven and Earth does not bow down to the commands of men.  Creation itself screams His name.  If we miss it, it is certainly no fault of His.  Every word written in scripture has been pointing to Jesus from the moment light burst forth in creation.  Every account we read will be to our judgment if we reject Jesus and refuse to obey Him as Lord.

Jesus points them back to the queen of the South, the queen of Sheba, who when she heard of the wisdom of Solomon traveled a great distance to see him, bringing extravagant gifts.  When she heard Solomon and saw all that he had, she was so in awe that “there was no more breath in her” (1 Kings 10:5).  The scribes and pharisees, who would know the scriptures inside and out, should be the first to recognize Jesus and fall at His feet, yet they reject Him and put Him to the test.  The unbelieving queen of Sheba had enough sense to recognize the wisdom of Solomon, and something greater than Solomon is here!

We can ask ourselves, do we see the glory of Jesus Christ and fall humbly in awe before Him?  Or do we ask Him to prove Himself to us rather than obey?