As we journey through the fourth week of Lent, the liturgy draws our attention to two striking passages of Sacred Scripture: the judgment of King Solomon in 3 Kings (1 Kings) 3:16-28 and Our Lord’s cleansing of the Temple in John 2:13-25. At first glance, these readings may seem unrelated, yet upon deeper reflection, they reveal complementary aspects of divine wisdom—one expressed in prudent discernment, the other in righteous zeal.
The Wisdom of Solomon and the Divine Judge
In 3 Kings 3:16-28, Solomon is presented with a most delicate case: two women, both harlots, claim to be the mother of the same living child. Deprived of witnesses, the matter seems impossible to judge. Yet, Solomon, endowed with divine wisdom, devises a test—ordering the child to be divided in two. The true mother immediately reveals herself through her selfless love, preferring to lose her son to another than to see him slain.
The wisdom of Solomon is a prefiguration of the perfect wisdom of Christ, who sees beyond outward appearances and discerns the hearts of men. St. Augustine notes:
“The wisdom of Solomon was a shadow of the true Wisdom, Christ Himself, who distinguishes between the living and the dead, between the true Church and the false claimant, between the faithful and the hypocrites.” (Sermo 105, 6)
Here, Solomon acts as a type of Christ, the Divine Judge, who will one day reveal the secrets of all hearts. The harlot who lied represents the false claimants to grace—those who, like the Pharisees, seek to justify themselves but have no true love. The true mother mirrors the soul who, in humility, would rather suffer loss than see truth perish.
The Zeal of Christ and the Purification of the Temple
The Gospel passage from John 2:13-25 presents another striking image: Christ enters the Temple and, seeing it defiled by merchants and money-changers, He makes a whip of cords and drives them out. He overturns tables and rebukes them, saying, “Make not the house of my Father a house of traffic” (John 2:16).
This righteous anger of Our Lord may seem at odds with the gentle wisdom of Solomon, yet both are acts of divine justice. St. Jerome remarks:
“He who is meek as a lamb when He suffers for us is the same who is a lion when He judges sin. For the love of God’s house, He is inflamed with holy wrath.” (Commentarium in Matthaeum, 21:12-13)
The Temple, meant to be a place of prayer, had been turned into a place of business. Christ’s act foreshadows the cleansing of the soul that must take place in every believer. As St. John Chrysostom teaches:
“The house of God is the heart of man. If Christ finds it filled with worldly traffic—vain thoughts, carnal desires, and unworthy affections—He must cast them out, for He will not dwell where sin reigns.” (Homiliae in Joannem, 23)
Applying This to Lent: Wisdom and Zeal in the Christian Life
These two passages converge in the Lenten season, where we are called both to seek wisdom and purify our hearts.
- Discernment in Spiritual Life – Like Solomon, we must ask for wisdom to judge rightly between what is true and false in our lives. Are we clinging to self-deception? Do we truly love God above all, or do we only claim to? True wisdom is found in humility and self-giving love.
- Purging the Temple of the Soul – Just as Christ purges the Temple, we must allow Him to cleanse our hearts. Lent is a time to drive out the “money-changers” of sin—attachments, distractions, and anything that profanes our interior temple.
- Zeal for God’s House – This passage calls us to defend the sanctity of the Church, both in our own souls and in the world. Have we allowed irreverence, worldliness, or indifference to take hold? True zeal is not disorderly rage but a burning love for God’s glory.
Conclusion: Wisdom and Zeal in Union
The Church Fathers teach us that true wisdom and true zeal are never opposed—they are two aspects of the same divine life in us. Solomon’s wisdom is not passive tolerance but a discerning love that seeks justice. Christ’s zeal is not reckless anger but a holy purification.
This Lent, as we meditate on these passages, let us pray for the grace to be both wise and zealous: wise in discerning truth from falsehood, and zealous in purging our souls of all that offends God. For, as St. Gregory the Great reminds us:
“Wisdom without zeal is lukewarmness; zeal without wisdom is rashness. But when both meet, the soul is inflamed with the fire of divine charity.” (Moralia in Job, 20.1)
May our Lenten journey lead us to that perfect balance, that we may be temples fit for the dwelling of the Lord. Amen.