17th Sunday on Ordinary Time. Year A.
Lectionary Readings:
1 Kings 3 v5-12. The Lord makes Solomon wise.
Romans 8 v26-39. God’s love for us.
Matthew 13 v31-33, 44-52. New and old treasures.
Wisdom and Understanding- God’s gifts to his people.
Solomon asks God for wisdom to help him in his role as king. God is pleased that he has done so and gladly grants him the gift of wisdom.
As king, Solomon knows that he will be called upon to honour the past and secure the future of God’s people.
‘Wisdom is the ability to use experience and knowledge to make sensible decisions or judgements.’
(Collins dictionary).
In Solomon’s case, he seeks the ability to discern how best to apply God’s word (The Law of Moses) and the traditions of the people of God, (resulting from human understanding of how the scriptures should be applied) to everyday life.
In this week’s passage from Romans, Paul reassures us that ‘the Spirit is here to help us’. (v26b)
In the apostle’ last instructions to Timothy, he writes, ‘Everything in the Scriptures is God’s word. All of it is useful for teaching and helping people and for correcting them and showing them how to live (2 Tim 3 v16).
Paul is convinced that God’s gift of the Spirit is able to help us understand the Scriptures, (1 Cor 3 v13) and to make sense of how we are to apply our understanding to everyday life. (1 Cor 12 v6).
Matthew quotes Jesus’ teaching his disciples about the benefits of studying scripture within the context of the kingdom of heaven. (As his disciples, they have been accepted into the kingdom and blessed with gift of the Spirit.)
They will, with the help of the Holy Spirit, be able to understand the original meaning of the ancient scriptures and be able to share new insights, applicable to their own generation. (‘Old and new treasures from the storeroom’. v52).
As present day disciples of Jesus, we have inherited the responsibility to do likewise. With the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit, we are to study God’s word, to seek understanding and to apply God’s wisdom to our own situation.
Bible quotations are taken from the Contemporary English Version.
Thanks to Mike Peck for submitting these reflections