The Solomonic shadow in Jesus’s life and ministry is something the very first verse of the New Testament prepares us to see. Matthew describes the first Gospel as “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham” (Matthew 1:1). The phrase “son of David” thus signals to us that we can expect a story about David’s son, the long-awaited Christ.

A familiar notion in the ancient world was a traveling teacher who could draw a crowd. Teachers like that came and went. But in the first-century Roman Empire, an itinerant teacher, who grew up in the village of Nazareth, impacted the land of Israel in a way that no previous teacher had done. Jesus of Nazareth taught with unprecedented authority (Matt 7:28–29 ), and he demonstrated wisdom superior to even the most knowledgeable rabbis, scribes, and Pharisees (Matt 13:54 ).

In Israel’s history, there was a great king whose reputation outstretched the promised land and drew the masses. King Solomon was the wisest of kings and men. But as great as Solomon’s wisdom was, Jesus surpassed him.

The four Gospels depict Jesus as a true and greater Solomon, and we should believe their portrayal. In this article, we will consider four ways that the shadow of Solomon is present in the life and ministry of Jesus.

1. Gifts from Gentile Lands

Sometime after the birth of Jesus, Gentiles from the east came to visit him. The wise men arrived in Jerusalem because they knew that was the city where a king ruled. They asked, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him” (Matt 2:2 ). In short order, the magi learned what the Old Testament prophesied: the promised king would be born in Bethlehem, so to Bethlehem they went (2:3–9).

Arriving at the appropriate house in Bethlehem, the magi opened the gifts they had brought him: gold and frankincense and myrrh (Matt 2:10–11 ). These three gifts might seem like strange things to bring to a small child, but the gifts symbolized the devotion and deference of the magi, as well as the royal status they believed the child possessed. They bowed before the king (2:11).

The echo of 1 Kings 10 is heard in this magi scene. According to 1 Kings 10:1–10 , the queen of Sheba came to Solomon with gifts. She had come to see and hear this great and wise king. An entourage had accompanied her. She brought “spices and very much gold and precious stones” (1 Kgs 10:2 ). She “gave the king 120 talents of gold, and a very great quantity of spices and precious stones. Never again came such an abundance of spices as these that the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon” (10:10).

Psalm 72 further establishes a connection between Solomon and the future Christ, in terms of gifts of devotion and status-recognition. This psalm is either written by David for Solomon, or it is written by Solomon. No matter if the author is David or the son of David, the content of Psalm 72 has in view the covenant promises of a king who would reign forever (see 2 Sam 7:12–13 ), and such a king would receive the gifts and worship of others. For example, Psalm 72:10  says, “May the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands render him tribute; may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts!” And Psalm 72:15  says, “Long may he live; may gold of Sheba be given to him!” These lines from Psalm 72 are about Gentiles bringing gifts that include gold, and such homage was evident in the lives of Solomon—and Jesus.

Matthew 2 echoes these royal gifts from Gentiles in 1 King 10 and Psalm 72. The point: Jesus is a Solomonic figure.

Thirty years before his public ministry, his status was recognized and revered by Gentiles. Not even Solomon’s greatness was acknowledged so early.

2. A Shocking Claim of Greatness

Second, Jesus himself claimed to be greater than Solomon.

Throughout Jesus’s ministry, he taught a variety of truths about the kingdom’s presence (Matt 4:17 ), people (Matt 5:3–16 ), ethics (Matt 5:17–7:14 ), and future (Matt 24–25). He also taught about himself—making claims about his origin and identity. His claims included, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven” (John 6:51 ); “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12 ); “I am the good shepherd” (John 10:11 ); “Something greater than Jonah is here” (Matt 12:41 ); and “Something greater than the temple is here” (Matt 12:6 ).

Jesus’s many claims did not permit his hearers (and now readers) to conclude that he was simply a good human teacher. His claims signaled much more than that. For instance, in Matthew 12, Jesus made a claim about himself that invoked Solomon’s name. He was talking to some scribes and Pharisees (Matt 12:38 ) about the future judgment upon his generation. He said, “The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here” (Matt 12:42 ).

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