There is something greater than Jonah here

Gospel of the Day (Luke 11:29-32)

While still more people gathered in the crowd, he said to them, "This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah.

Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.

At the judgment the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation and she will condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and there is something greater than Solomon here.

At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because at the preaching of Jonah they repented, and there is something greater than Jonah here.

***

Reflections:

"There is something greater than Jonah here"

Allow me to quote one of the psalms, spoken to David by the Holy Spirit. You will tell me that it refers to Solomon, your king, but it refers even more to Christ...: «God, with your judgement endow the king» (Ps 72[71],1). Because Solomon became king you will tell me that this psalm speaks of him, whereas the words of this psalm very clearly point to an eternal king, namely Christ. For Christ was proclaimed to us as king, priest, God, Lord, angel, man, supreme head, rock, an infant through his birth, firstly a man of sorrows and then ascending to heaven and returning in his glory with everlasting majesty...

«God, with your judgement endow the king, and with your justice, the king's son. He shall govern your people with justice and your afflicted ones with judgement... All kings shall pay him homage, all nations shall serve him.» Solomon was a great and illustrious king; it was in his reign that the house we call the Temple of Jerusalem was built, but it is evident that nothing of what is said in the psalm happened to him. All kings did not pay him homage, neither did he rule to the ends of the earth, nor did his enemies fall down before him to lick the dust...

Solomon is not «the king of glory» (Ps 24[23],10); Christ is. After he had been raised from the dead and ascended into heaven, the princes whom God had established in heaven were commanded to «open the gates» of heaven so that he who is «the king of glory might come in» and go up to sit at the right hand of the Father until he makes «his enemies a footstool for him», as is shown in other psalms (24[23]; 110[109]). Yet when the princes in heaven saw him without beauty, honor or majesty to his appearance (Is 53,2), they failed to recognize him and asked: «Who is this king of glory?» (Ps 24[23], 8). Then the Holy Spirit answered them: «The Lord of hosts; he is the king of glory». For indeed it was not Solomon, glorious though he may have been in his majesty..., about whom it could be said: «Who is he, the king of glory?»