Breaking Open the Word

All three of today’s readings give us a unified look at the role of wisdom – wisdom in our human journey in seeking the Kingdom of God. Solomon asks for wisdom to serve his people in his leadership role, Paul gives us a sweeping vision of God’s plan to bring us to the vision of Christ and Jesus uses real life analogies in the form of short parables to teach us that seeking God’s will is the greatest good and that we must align our goals to that ultimate end.

The reading from Kings describes the famous story early in King Solomon’s reign where God appears to the young king and gives him an extraordinary offer: “Ask me for anything and I will give it to you”. Rather than asking for riches, long life or victory over his enemies, he asks for “an understanding heart” to govern God’s people justly and properly. This reveals Solomon’s humility. He sees his own limitations and realizes that he cannot do this on his own – he needs God’s help. He sees himself not as most political rulers see themselves – as being entitled to their powers. Instead, he sees himself as a steward of resources. Israel is not his – it is God’s. These are God’s people; not his. His authority is only legitimate to the extent that it serves God’s will. If only more political leaders in our world today viewed themselves as such!

The phrase “understanding heart” is significant. The heart is not just the center of emotion – it is the very center of the soul. Solomon is not just asking for wisdom in the intellectual sense – he is asking for it in the spiritual sense. True wisdom is it ability to discern God’s truth and to act on it. That is greatest wisdom.
In our lives, this story reveals the proper balance between human freedom and divine grace. True wisdom is a gift, but one that comes with responsibility. True wisdom lies not in information alone, but in actively listening for God’s revelation of his will and in acting on it to live in right relationship with God.

St. Paul gives us a vision of God’s providence. The famous phrase “We know that all things work for good for those who love God”. This of course, is easily misunderstood as meaning that our “deal” with God is that if we believe in him and love him, our lives will go well. Many new Christians lose faith when inevitably, they encounter suffering in their lives. The deeper meaning here is that even in suffering and in the countless sins of the world, God can bring greater good out of circumstances that themselves are not good. The greatest good to which God directs us is revealed in the phrase “to be conformed to the image of his son” This is a key insight into salvation. We aren’t just saved from destruction – we gain something of infinite value. We become likenesses of Christ. We become what we were designed by the creator to be. This is a fundamental concept in Christianity. We cannot save ourselves – it is God’s gift. But this gift demands a response.

Paul uses several terms in this passage “foreigner”, “predestined”, “called”, “justified” and “glorified”. Like Solomon’s wish, all of these have implications for the right relation between human freedom and God’s divine will. Again, we cannot save ourselves – God is the initiator. Yet God’s will does not destroy human freedom but instead properly enables it for its intended divine purpose – cooperation with Grace. It only reaches it true fulfillment in Christ - when we become likeness of Christ.