“The queen of the South will rise up in the judgement with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.
The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgement with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.” (Luke 11:31-32)
Do you feel that this stiff rebuke is a bit unfair?
After all, Solomon’s wealth and wisdom were the talk of the known world. Who would not want to go and see for themselves? When the Queen of Sheba famously made the journey she was astonished by what she heard and saw. (1 Kings 10:1-13)
The people of Nineveh believed that Jonah had miraculously risen from the dead (Luke 11:30). Who would not pay heed to such a prophet’s fearful warnings of righteous judgement? The whole city, from the king down, humbled themselves in repentance before God and He had mercy on them all.
Unlike Solomon, the Lord Jesus lived in relative poverty and obscurity. He wore no crown or royal robes and His companions were ordinary working men and women. It was easy to ignore Him. It was easy to despise Him. The scribes and Pharisees accused Him of failing to conform to their traditions. The crowd often abused Him, some said He had a demon, others that He was mad.
Nevertheless, the Queen of the South’s determination to see for herself and the repentant fear of the men of Nineveh are held up as a witness against the blindness, indifference and hardness of heart of that generation. Why did they not see who it was that walked among them? They boasted of their discernment of tomorrow’s weather, but they were blind to the coming of the kingdom of God. “Hypocrites! You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time?” (Luke 12:56) Their ignorance had nothing to do with evidence, or the lack of it, but everything to do with rebellious and proud hearts.
Think of the woman to whom the Lord Jesus spoke at the well in Samaria (John 4). After only a short conversation she understood and believed that this weary Jewish man was Messiah, the Saviour of the world. What a difference! Her heart was prepared to hear and to receive.
This cannot be treated as of mere historical interest. No, no, no! The Lord’s warning is for us all. He is not physically present as He was then, but are we therefore able to excuse unbelief, slothfulness or indifference? We have the abundantly clear written Word (the anvil that has worn out many hammers), two millennia of witnesses who have tested and proved its eternal truth, and even the unintended witness of modern science as it uncovers the genius of the created order.
The Lord’s cry echoes down through the ages, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear“.
G. K. Chesterton said in his book, “What’s wrong with the world?”
‘The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried.’
If only people are willing to dare to meet the Nazarene, they would say of Him what the queen of Sheba said of Solomon of old, ‘I did not believe the reports, until I came and my eyes had seen it. And behold, the half was not told me.’
And indeed a greater than Solomon is here.
Thank you for this, brother.
Thank you Brother Neil for the beautiful thoughts included in your meditation based on Luke 11:31-32.
May the Lord open the inner eyes and ears of many to see and hear the truths of God’s Word, especially those related to God’s Salvation through Christ’s complete redemption completed on the cross, granted freely to those who repent, confessing that they are sinners, and believe in Him and accept Him in their lives as Lord and Saviour.