20260211 THE WISDOM OF SOLOMON AND OF CHRIST
11 February 2026, Wednesday, 5th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading | 1 Kings 10:1-10 |
The Queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon
The fame of Solomon having reached the queen of Sheba, she came to test him with difficult questions. She brought immense riches to Jerusalem with her, camels laden with spices, great quantities of gold, and precious stones. On coming to Solomon, she opened her mind freely to him; and Solomon had an answer for all her questions, not one of them was too obscure for the king to expound. When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon, the palace he had built, the food at his table, the accommodation for his officials, the organisation of his staff and the way they were dressed, his cup-bearers, and the holocausts he offered in the Temple of the Lord, it left her breathless, and she said to the king, ‘What I heard in my own country about you and your wisdom was true, then! Until I came and saw it with my own eyes I could not believe what they told me, but clearly they told me less than half: for wisdom and prosperity you surpass the report I heard. How happy your wives are! How happy are these servants of yours who wait on you always and hear your wisdom! Blessed be the Lord your God who has granted you his favour, setting you on the throne of Israel! Because of the Lord’s everlasting love for Israel, he has made you king to deal out law and justice.’ And she presented the king with a hundred and twenty talents of gold and great quantities of spices and precious stones; no such wealth of spices ever came again as those given to King Solomon by the queen of Sheba.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 36(37):5-6,30-31,39-40 |
The just man’s mouth utters wisdom.
Commit your life to the Lord,
trust in him and he will act,
so that your justice breaks forth like the light,
your cause like the noon-day sun.
The just man’s mouth utters wisdom.
The just man’s mouth utters wisdom
and his lips speak what is right;
the law of his God is in his heart,
his steps shall be saved from stumbling.
The just man’s mouth utters wisdom.
The salvation of the just comes from the Lord,
their stronghold in time of distress.
The Lord helps them and delivers them
and saves them: for their refuge is in him.
The just man’s mouth utters wisdom.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.2Tim1:10 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Our Saviour Jesus Christ abolished death
and he has proclaimed life through the Good News.
Alleluia!
Or: | Jn17:17 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Your word is truth, O Lord:
consecrate us in the truth.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Mark 7:14-23 |
It is what comes out of a man that makes him unclean
Jesus called the people to him and said, ‘Listen to me, all of you, and understand. Nothing that goes into a man from outside can make him unclean; it is the things that come out of a man that make him unclean. If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen to this.’
When he had gone back into the house, away from the crowd, his disciples questioned him about the parable. He said to them, ‘Do you not understand either? Can you not see that whatever goes into a man from outside cannot make him unclean, because it does not go into his heart but through his stomach and passes out into the sewer?’ (Thus he pronounced all foods clean.) And he went on, ‘It is what comes out of a man that makes him unclean. For it is from within, from men’s hearts, that evil intentions emerge: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, malice, deceit, indecency, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within and make a man unclean.’
THE WISDOM OF SOLOMON AND OF CHRIST
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 Kgs 10:1-10; Ps 37:5-6,30-31,39-40; Mk 7:14-23]
Solomon was renowned for his wisdom, at least initially, when he was a young king. At the very beginning of his reign, his heart was with God and with his people. Indeed, the Queen of Sheba remarked after witnessing Solomon’s wisdom, “Blessed be the Lord your God, who has granted you His favour, setting you on the throne of Israel! Because of the Lord’s everlasting love for Israel, He has made you king to administer law and justice.” She recognized that Solomon’s ability to govern wisely was entirely due to God’s faithful love.
This was also because, at the beginning of his reign, Solomon’s heart was with to God. He took to heart the counsel of his father David, who said to him, “Be strong, be courageous, and keep the charge of the Lord your God, walking in His ways and keeping His statutes, His commandments, His ordinances, and His testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn.” (1 Kgs 2:2f) And so, when he took over the throne, he was fully devoted to God. When the Lord appeared to him in a dream one night and said, “Ask what I should give you,” Solomon replied, “Your servant is in the midst of the people whom You have chosen, a great people, so numerous they cannot be numbered or counted. Give your servant, therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil; for who can govern this your great people?” It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. God said to him, “Indeed I give you a wise and discerning mind; no one like you has been before you and no one like you shall arise after you. I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor all your life; no other king shall compare with you. If you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your life.” (1 Kgs 3:5,6,9-14)
As a consequence, the country under his wise rule became prosperous and rich, ushering in a period of peace. He built alliances with neighbouring countries to secure peace, and he married Pharaoh’s daughter. He opened the country to trade with other nations, acting as a middleman in the sale of horses and chariots between Asia Minor and Egypt. He also built up his own forces of chariots and cavalry.
He managed an efficient administration, as the Queen of Sheba noted: “The queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon, the palace he had built, the food at his table, the accommodation for his officials, the organization of his staff and the way they were dressed, his cupbearers, and the holocausts he offered in the Temple of the Lord–it left her breathless.” Indeed, taking care of the welfare of his staff and his people was crucial in gaining loyalty and support. King Solomon was wise in looking after his workers well. The Queen exclaimed, “What I heard in my own country about you and your wisdom was true! Until I came and saw it with my own eyes, I could not believe what they told me. But clearly they told me less than half: for in wisdom and prosperity, you surpass the report I heard. How happy your wives are! How happy are these servants of yours who wait on you always and hear your wisdom!”
But that is only the first part of the story. The very factors that contributed to Solomon’s success would eventually lead to his downfall. By marrying foreign wives for political convenience to strengthen his relationships with neighbouring kingdoms, he also allowed pagan worship and customs to enter his household. We will read more about this in tomorrow’s reading. As a consequence, his fervour for the Lord dwindled, for he turned to other gods and was no longer faithful to the covenant. Soon his heart became distracted. The construction of buildings, including his own palace and the Temple, required heavy taxes and slave labour to complete, which caused resentment. Before long, some who were dissatisfied with Solomon’s rule began to gather support to rebel. Eventually, the kingdom was divided after his death when Jeroboam rebelled and broke away from Rehoboam.
When we read of King Solomon’s wisdom, we are reminded of Christ, whose wisdom during His ministry astounded everyone. Early on, when the Lord returned to His hometown, those who heard Him teach were amazed. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands!” (Mk 6:2) His fame spread because of His authoritative teaching, which was confirmed by His authority over unclean spirits and illnesses. Jesus was able to answer all the questions posed by His opponents, so much so that “no one dared to ask him any question.” (Mk 12:34)
Jesus also referred to this event when He cited the example of the Queen of Sheba, who traveled from afar to listen to Solomon. He said to the unbelieving scribes and Pharisees, “The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and see, something greater than Solomon is here!” (Mt 12:42) She did not have the grace to encounter the true Wisdom of God, yet she already pointed out the failure of those who did not receive Jesus. The implication is clear: although we know far more than the Queen of Sheba–or even the scribes and Pharisees–we are often resistant and indifferent to the teachings of our Lord. We fail to make the effort to study Scripture, to contemplate His word, or to make sacrifices to deepen our relationship with God. We have no excuse not to make time for the Lord in prayer and worship. We cannot be indifferent to seeking the truth, unlike the Queen of Sheba, who earnestly sought counsel with Solomon to hear his wise words. Indeed, we must not put Christ on the shelf, lest we suffer the consequences of indifference, complacency, and unbelief.
This brings us to our reflection on today’s Gospel passage. We must go beyond mere external practices in our relationship with God. The religious leaders in the time of Jesus were more concerned with observing the oral traditions surrounding the Law of Moses. They emphasised meticulous adherence to the laws and even introduced secondary laws to ensure that the Law of Moses was obeyed without compromise. In today’s passage, their dispute with Jesus was over the Jewish dietary regulations. They were upset that Jesus’ disciples did not wash their hands before eating, as required by the tradition of the elders. But the Lord went straight to the heart of the matter. He said, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand. Nothing that goes into a man from outside can make him unclean; it is the things that come out of a man that make him unclean.”
The heart of our Lord’s teaching is clear: we must go to the heart of the matter. Jesus considered the external performance of rituals and customs to be man-made; they belong to human tradition and can change over time. What is most critical is that we observe the laws of God, as expressed in the Ten Commandments, rather than focusing solely on human traditions. It is far more important to live a life of integrity, justice, honesty, and purity than to observe the formalism of handwashing or the kosher laws. As He explained to His disciples, “Do you not understand either? Can you not see that whatever goes into a man from outside cannot make him unclean, because it does not go into his heart but through his stomach and passes out in the sewer? It is what comes out of a man that makes him unclean. For it is from within, from men’s hearts, that evil intentions emerge: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, malice, deceit, indecency, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within and make a man unclean.”
We must, therefore, get our priorities right, especially when tensions arise in the Church between traditionalists and progressives.Traditions are not always bad, nor are innovations always good. It does not matter whether we consider ourselves traditionalists, progressives, or moderates. Sometimes, we need to invest in new traditions to unite the community, while other traditions that have become irrelevant may need to be set aside. But in all things, we must ensure that Tradition–with a capital T–is always upheld. This Tradition refers to the Apostolic teaching passed on to us by the apostles and enshrined in Scripture. As the Lord reminds us, God’s commandments take precedence over all human traditions, which are subject to the Word of God; human traditions are therefore secondary, and they may be replaced, modified, or supplemented as needed.
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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