One Greater Than Solomon

March 21, 2023

I just got back from a week in Israel/Palestine. It’s commonly referred to by Christians as The Holy Land. Millions of people travel there every year. I understand the attraction. It is an incredible journey, one that everyone who is a Christ follower would benefit from experiencing. Some Christian believers there call The Holy Land the 5th Gospel—they believe that getting an understanding of the places and customs of the land of Jesus enhances the richness of the story of Jesus. Having been there, I fully agree. I learned so much.

Here are some of the things our team was able to see and experience:

  • Mount Carmel where Elijah the prophet challenged the prophets of Baal and Ashira (1 Kings 18:36-40).
  • Nazareth, the village where Jesus lived with His parents, Mary and Joseph.
  • Caesarea Philippi, where Jesus gave Peter his name (You are the Rock) and where Jesus proclaimed, “I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.”
  • Capernaum, where Jesus spent 19 months of His ministry and performed at least nine miracles.
  • Boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus walked on water and made a miraculous catch of fish.
  • Jericho, where the walls feel of Joshua’s obedience.
  • Some were actually baptized in the Jordan River where John the Baptist baptized Jesus.
  • The Dead Sea, where the Dead Sea scrolls with ancient Scriptures were discovered in 1947.
  • Walked through Bethlehem where Jesus was born.
  • Stood in the Shepherd Field where the Angel of God announced to the shepherds that Jesus had been born.
  • Prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus made the ultimate surrender.
  • Was overcome with emotion at the empty tomb.

As I experienced all this and tried to process my own emotions, I watched others and saw the impact it was having on them as well. One verse kept coming to my mind found in Matthew 12:42. Jesus was speaking, and Matthew was one of the disciples who heard Him and recorded it. Jesus was in the middle of experiencing rejection from the people He came to live and die for, and He said, "The Queen of the South will rise at the judgement with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and now something greater than Solomon is here."

We have our own issues with understanding exactly who Jesus is. We travel from all different parts of the world to The Holy Land so we can view and feel closer to Jesus. Many will say that the trip changed their lives. I get that. I have experienced a change as well. But something greater than what we gained on this trip is true. We went to celebrate and see where Jesus lived, died, and rose again. But that Jesus isn’t found just in the Holy Land. He lives in US. He makes us holy as we give Him our lives.

Solomon was the greatest builder Israel had ever known. He had more wealth, more power, more affluence, more prestige, than any other ruler in all of time. Now here was the Lord Jesus, a peasant prophet. And this Lord Jesus was saying to them, “If you only knew—One far greater than Solomon is right here in your midst.” In other words, what you yearn for, the One who could meet all your needs is here and you don’t recognize Him.

When Paul was speaking to the philosophers in Athens with their many temples and gods, he told them confidently, “God, who made the world and everything in it, since he is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands” (Acts 17:24). He lives in and works through us.

That’s the real wonder. 1 Corinthians 3:16 tells us that because of Jesus, the Holy Spirit lives in us and makes us His temple. Romans 8:9 says the Spirit of Christ lives in us.

Traveling to the land where Jesus walked as a man, the Son of God, is wonderful. But the surpassing wonder is that the Risen Jesus lives in those who place their faith in Him. He lives in me! He gives me all the wisdom, resources, hope, and help I need… right here in Sugarcreek. It’s amazing! I’m so grateful.