03/25/2019
How do we kiss One another, and how will we kiss Jesus? Are our kisses sincere, or are they something altogether different? We can tell a great deal about how we will kiss Jesus by how we kiss each other today.
“but Jesus said to him, "Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?"”
Luke 22:48 ESV
Kisses, what a wonderful vehicle for conveying emotion and intention; by them we convey everything from great joy and love, to hatred and betrayal. They can be nearly meaningless, like a peck on the cheek, or filled with lust like those of lovers. They can be respectful like kissing the ring of a king, or holy, like kissing another person of faith. They are often used to greet those we love like mothers and fathers, and similarly as a gesture when parting. They can celebrate life like the first gentle kiss we give a newborn, or death like the last kiss we give at a funeral. And, they can also symbolize unity and friendship like the seal of a contract, or hatred like the kiss of death offered by a mafia boss. Kisses are so versatile, and are only bound by the number of emotions and intentions we have. So when I ask you how you will kiss Jesus it isn’t quite the simple question it appears.
Jesus was undoubtedly kissed many times during His life, and in many ways, but the two that were documented in the New Testament were the kiss of Judas, and the kisses given him by a woman of the town, who was a sinner. Let’s recall these two instances.
The kiss of betrayal. Judas took a common kiss of greeting and friendship, and turned it into something quite different... the betrayal of Christ, and it became his own damnation. What he intended to be a signal became the kiss of death for both he and Jesus. Kisses of deception are nothing new; they are mentioned specifically in the Old Testament book of Proverbs as a warning to us...
“Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.”
Proverbs 27:6 ESV
But God turned that unfaithful kiss of Judas, that kiss of death and deceit, into a kiss of incredible love, life, redemption, and eternity, all in the twinkling of an eye, or less than the time it would take to give a peck on the cheek... He did so with the resurrection of Jesus. By a fleeting breath Jesus died, and in a single breath He lived once more. God hijacked the kiss of Judas, and made it His own.
So sometimes we see a kiss and turn away from it only to find a blessing was actually there... perception. Kisses convey emotion, but emotions are hard to read. Many times, how a kiss is intended, and how it is received (or perceived) are two different things. This occurred in the second kiss of Jesus that we will explore...
“Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet.”
Luke 7:44-45 ESV
A kiss of adoration and submission. A kiss of faith and reverence... perhaps a kiss of desperation. This sinful woman had led a life of shame that she felt there could be no salvation from, so she kissed the dusty, and dirty, feet of Jesus profusely in desperate hope. My own eyes fill with tears at the spectacle, but Simon looked on these kisses with disdain. I ask again... how will you kiss Jesus? Are we desperate? Are we sinners? If we say no to these questions then we need to open our eyes because we all sin, and if that doesn’t make us desperate enough to kiss the travel weary feet of Jesus then we are lost. Read afresh the description of the scene... is this you?
“And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment.”
Luke 7:37-38 ESV
How we kiss is important, but why we kiss is the truth, and treasure, that is contained within them.
I watched on television as the Pope washed and then kissed the feet of a street beggar. The scene was moving to me because I saw it as an act of love, and faith, but what if the microphone had caught him in an outtake saying to one of the bishops “boy I’m glad that is over... get me some mouthwash”, the act of washing and kissing the beggar’s feet would have been no different, but the intention would have changed that kiss forever. So when I ask you how you will kiss Jesus there is an implied link to the emotion that drives you and the intention that brought on that kiss.
As we consider this today, will we be like Simon and not kiss Him at all? Or which, of all the types of kisses that one could employ, will we first greet Jesus with? Where will our hearts be? What will our motives be?
Prayer:
Father, thank you for the act of kissing that brings emotion into our physical being in such a personal and intimate way. Thank you for your Son Jesus who received the kisses of mankind, and for your ability to take our lips and make them yours. Holy Father, if you could reverse the effect of Judas’ kiss then there is certainly hope for mine. Help me Father to be sincere in the kisses I give, and true to the holiness behind what your Word refers to as the Holy Kiss. Help me Merciful Father so that all of my kisses are received in the way I have given them, and let none be misunderstood. Make my kisses the vessel of my emotion, and my emotions pleasing in your eye. Never allow me to kiss out of hatred, or in disdain, and open my heart to the loving kisses of others. Let the kisses of children always melt my heart, and the kiss I give a newborn forever linger on my lips. I await the day when I can fall into the arms of Jesus and give Him the loving kiss I have long dreamed of. My prayer Gracious Father is for your lips to become His, and my face to receive them with exceeding love and joy. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you my God who deserves the kisses of our hearts. Praised be your name Lord and may my loving kisses give you joy and glory forever.
“Whoever gives an honest answer kisses the lips.”
Proverbs 24:26 ESV
Rich Forbes