Brief synopsis of the readings: We begin in the 1st Book of Kings. Newly crowned King Solomon had a dream where God promised to grant him whatever he wanted. Recognizing the responsibilities of ruling his people he asked for “an understanding heart to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong.” Impressed that he did not ask for riches or long life, God granted his wish. Matthew’s Gospel finds Jesus continuing to describe the kingdom of heaven. He describes a man who finds buried treasure on someone else’s land (he then makes plans to purchase the land); also a merchant who finds a pearl of great value (also purchases it); finally a fisherman who brings home a haul of fish that he separates into useful and useless fish.

Here in the United States several states get together to fund a common lottery; last week someone won over a billion dollars. I find great entertainment in hearing what people would do if they won a jackpot that big because it’s more money than most of us can imagine. An amount that big dwarfs what most of us imagine. If we’re thinking of finally paying off student loans or our mortgage or even buying an expensive car, well, that’s dreaming too small.

Given that I’m not sure what was going through Solomon’s mind but imagine being told by God that you can have anything you want. To put this in context Solomon’s father David recently died and the king’s crown was still settling on Solomon’s head. His succession to his father was hardly surprising as David died at age 70 and he had chosen Solomon to succeed him. Nevertheless I think we have an insight that Solomon was recognizing just what he faced.

If the rest of us have any insight into this I believe it’s the experience of bringing home your first child from the hospital. Even delusional parents recognize the awesome responsibilities that face them and their need for help beyond themselves. I only had a few years of listening to confessions but I don’t remember ever hearing from a parent who didn’t pray to be better parents. When Solomon asked for an understanding heart to be able to judge well and distinguish right from wrong I believe that’s what he was talking about. And if we know anything about Solomon it’s the scene where he is called to choose between two mothers who claim the same child. When Solomon suggesting dividing the newborn in half, one woman finds it reasonable while the other asks to preserve the life of the baby even if the other woman raises it. Recognizing only the real mother would sacrifice herself to save the baby, he gave it to her.

Because of this we often refer to the “wisdom of Solomon” and I believe when he asks for an understanding heart that’s what he’s asking for. And I believe it is wisdom that goes a long way toward our desire to seek the kingdom of heaven and that’s what Jesus was alluding to in his metaphors.

That said it’s a little puzzling to see how many metaphors Jesus used to describe the kingdom of heaven. A teacher who uses that many examples to make his point oftentimes finds himself frustrated that the students aren’t getting it; near the end of the Gospel he finally asks his followers of they are understanding all of this.

The idea of stumbling on buried treasure has motivated several pirates throughout history and nearly every 10 year old boy. Jesus wrote long before the existence of banks and the idea of burying treasure was fairly common. But it was understood that the treasure belonged to the owner of the land regardless of who found it and to take it from the owner was theft. Note for another day: if you find the treasure and purchase the land without telling the owner what you found, isn’t that insider trading? Clearly the landowner didn’t know what was buried on his land or he would have dug it up himself.

And not to quibble with Jesus’ wisdom I’m a little troubled that he compared the kingdom to finding treasure. When we think of wisdom I think it’s not something we stumble on or find. Instead wisdom is more often what we choose and what we work for.

Not only that but it’s made through a series of decisions we make every day. When I was a seminarian I had the opportunity to live with several priests in their 80s and 90s. Some of them were delightful and a joy to be around. Others were so unpleasant and bitter that they were generally avoided. Over time I learned that none of them became that way in retirement but instead had essentially lived decades on the road to who they were.

Both groups gave me tremendous insight into the fact that in my 30s I was already on a path that would determine what I would be like in my 80s. One priest in particular was always fun to be around; you could feel the room lift when he entered. He spoke often about the people and experiences that made him grateful and he was honestly interested in everyone he met. On the other hand there was another priest who was, let’s face it, just hard to be around. He elevated resentment to a new high and virtually every subject gave more proof of how he had been badly treated.

In hearing their stories, from themselves and their peers, I learned that both were much the same when they were my age and the years had only moved them along that same path. That doesn’t discount the ability to change direction and as a matter of fact that’s the point. No matter what we do we never wander too far from being able to steer back to a path that brings us to the buried treasure.

While Solomon received the gift of wisdom all at once we have the ability to gain wisdom every day and with every decision. Perhaps this is how we win the lottery, at little at a time.