Holy Kisses

Greet one another with a holy kiss (Romans 16.16) A young man walked into a candy shop and he asked for three boxes of candy – a $5 box, a $10 box, and $20 box of candy. The man behind the counter asked, “Why do you need three boxes of candy?” He explained, “I’ve got a hot date tonight. When I take her home, if she shakes my hand I’m going to give her the $5 box. If she hugs me she gets the $10 box. But if she gives me a big kiss she gets the $20 box of candy.” So he bought all three boxes of candy and put it them in his car. The young man drove to her house that night. The girl’s parents invited him to have dinner with the family before they left on their date. The father said, “Young man, we pray before our meals. Would you lead our prayer?” He bowed his head and prayed the most eloquent lengthy prayer they had ever heard before a meal. The girl leaned over to him and whispered, “I had no idea you were so spiritual.” He whispered back “I had no idea your daddy owned the candy store.” If you could walk into a first century Christian assembly you would have been greeted with holy kisses. The holy kiss was commanded five times in the New Testament (Romans 16.16; 1 Corinthians 16.20; 2 Corinthians 13.12; 1 Thessalonians 5.26; 1 Peter 5.14). Early Christians greeted each other warmly with a kiss of love. Don’t misunderstand - it was not like people were making out at church. It was not a romantic kiss or a sensual kiss - it was a holy kiss! I imagine this greeting was very important to early Christians. When the prodigal son came home the father embraced and kissed him (Luke 15.20). When Jesus visited the house of Simon (in Luke 7.45) he made it known that he received no kiss when he was greeted. In Acts 20.37 the elders at Ephesus wept and kissed Paul’s face because they would never see him again. Early Christians, who were persecuted, cherished this practice because they viewed the church as their family and families are supposed to show love and affection. Today, the holy kiss is not our custom. We greet people with a smile, a warm handshake or a holy hug i.e., the cultural equivalent to a kiss. The point is we are supposed to show love and affection for brothers and sisters. Do you?