MESSAGE 21 - 1THESSALONIANS CHAPTER 5:26 - GREET ONE ANOTHER WITH A HOLY KISS BUT WHAT IS A HOLY KISS?
[B]. WHAT IS A HOLY KISS?
{{1Thessalonians 5:26 “Greet all the brethren with a holy kiss.”}}
There are three other places in the New Testament where Paul asks that the saints greet one another with a holy kiss. They are here – {{Romans 16:16 “Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.” 1Corinthians 16:20 “All the brethren greet you. Greet one another with a holy kiss.” 2Corinthians 13:12 “Greet one another with a holy kiss.”}} And one reference in Peter – {{1Peter 5:14 “Greet one another with a kiss of love.”}}
Let us just consider the background for The Kiss of Greeting and Welcome. The custom of combining greeting with a kiss was oriental, and especially Jewish, and in this way, became Christian. The kiss is distinguished from an ordinary greeting of natural affection or friendship. It belongs to God, and the new society of His children. The kiss, as a mark both of friendship and of reverence, is still most common as ever in the Middle East. The kiss is common in eastern lands in salutation, etc., on the cheek, the forehead, the beard, the hands, the feet, but not the lips. In fact it is common in France, with both men and women generally. The British stiff upper lip society has shied away from it but is still found among women; men to women to a lesser extent and not at all man to man, except in some parts of Europe.
This is in absolute contrast to the kiss of intimacy found between husband and wife such as this verse portrays - {{Song of Solomon 1:2 “May he kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! For your love is better than wine.”}} Song of Solomon is much more than an intimate interaction between two lovers (in the biblical sense – the bride and groom). It is actually an interesting study of the closeness of the Lord Jesus with His Church – Bride and Bridegroom – Christ and the Church.
W. E. Vine (Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words) [[“There was to be an absence of formality and hypocrisy, a freedom from prejudice arising from social distinctions, from discrimination against the poor, from partiality towards the well-to-do. In the churches, masters and servants would thus greet one another without any attitude of condescension on the part of, or disrespect of the other. The kiss took place between persons of the same sex.”]]
From Manners & Customs of the Bible Lands: [[“Kissing. Guests in Holy Land homes expect to be kissed as they enter. When entertained by a Pharisee, Jesus commented on his reception by saying to him, “You gave me no kiss.” Luke 7 v 45. The difference between the Oriental and the western way of greeting each other, is made clear by one who lived in Palestine for many years. “Here (Britain), men shake hands when they meet and greet, but in Palestine, instead of doing this, they place their right hand on their friend’s left shoulder and kiss his right cheek, and then reversing the action, place their left hand on his right shoulder, and kiss his left cheek… (page 74).]]
Christian greeting is wishing all temporal, spiritual, and eternal happiness, to one another; and which, as it should be mutual, should be also hearty and sincere, and this is meant by the "holy kiss"; the allusion is to a common custom in most nations, used by friends at meeting or parting, to kiss each other, in token of their hearty love, and sincere affection and friendship for each other; and is called "holy", to distinguish it from an unchaste and lascivious one, some would say.
Paul uses the term “holy kiss”, and the supposition there, is that there is such a thing as an unholy kiss. You have black and white; yes and no; hot and cold. Now what could an unholy kiss be, if there is such a thing? Well, in my opinion, I don’t think it is something like kissing a prostitute. I don’t think it has that in mind. Paul says to greet one another with that holy kiss, so let’s confine it to the Christian circles.
Have you ever had someone come to visit you, and it was most inconvenient, and you were wishing they had stayed at home? Well when they arrive, you might say, “Come in. It’s great to see you. Come on in.” Yet, you were really wishing they had not come just then. Well, you conveyed a false impression to them. We all do it, I think. We would not say to a friend, “Get lost. I don’t want to see you right now.” Well, among Christians, I think an unholy kiss is a false one; not genuine, just pretend.
We shake hands now in western society. The men mostly. If we had a man come here to our fellowship and started kissing the men in greeting because that was his national custom, some of us men would feel a bit awkward. In any case, if you shake hands with someone you can’t stand, the greeting, be it handshake or kiss, is conveying a false attitude. That is a lie. We are to be honest with each other. You are pretending what is not – that is an unholy kiss.
Kissing is not all it seems. Yes, I say again, kissing is not always what it seems.
THE KISS OF DECEPTION – {{Genesis 27:26 “Then his father Isaac said to him, “Please come close and kiss me, my son,” Gen 27:27 so he came close and KISSED him, and when he smelled the smell of his garments, he blessed him and said, “See, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field which the LORD has blessed.”}} Jacob deceived his father with a kiss, pretending to be Esau. It was unscrupulous but God honoured it because Esau disgraced himself, and don’t forget this verse – {{Romans 9:12 it was said to her (Rebekah), “The older will serve the younger.” Rom 9:13 Just as it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”}}
THE KISS OF PROMISE AND HOPE – {{Genesis 29:9 “While he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep for she was a shepherdess, Gen 29 v 10 and it came about, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother’s brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother’s brother, that Jacob went up and rolled the stone from the mouth of the well, and watered the flock of Laban his mother’s brother. Gen 29 v 11 Then Jacob KISSED Rachel, and lifted his voice and wept, Gen 29 v 12 and Jacob told Rachel that he was a relative of her father and that he was Rebekah’s son, and she ran and told her father.”}} Jacob was to marry Rachel so in that sense this was a kiss of promise and acceptance. Laban tried to manipulate the situation but in God’s will, Jacob became 12 tribes.
THE KISS OF REGRET – {{Genesis 33:4 “Then Esau ran to meet him and embraced him, and fell on his neck and KISSED him, and they wept.”}} All his life Esau must have regretted selling his birthright simply for a meal but it was too late. How many in hell today are full of regrets that they rejected the gospel. Do not be one of them! Do not delay your salvation. The event described is reconciliation between Jacob and Esau, what we might call “the kiss of reconciliation.”
THE KISS OF GENUINE FORGIVENESS – {{Genesis 45:13 “Now you must tell my father of all my splendour in Egypt, and all that you have seen and you must hurry and bring my father down here.” Gen 45:14 Then he fell on his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept and Benjamin wept on his neck, Gen 45:15 and he KISSED all his brothers and wept on them, and afterward his brothers talked with him.”}} Joseph totally forgave all his brothers for the evil they had done to him, and that was sealed in a kiss. I wonder what remorse they had for selling Joseph and deceiving Jacob?
THE KISS OF DEEPEST TREACHERY – {{2Samuel 20:9 and Joab said to Amasa, “Is it well with you, my brother?” Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to KISS him, 2Sam 20:10 but Amasa was not on guard against the sword which was in Joab’s hand so he struck him in the belly with it and poured out his inward parts on the ground, and did not strike him again and he died. Then Joab and Abishai his brother pursued Sheba the son of Bichri.”}} Amasa was a more noble man than Joab and more loyal to David. This was a treacherous cut, allied to Brutus. Deep deception and betrayal is nothing to the unconverted man.
THE KISS OF PAGAN DARKNESS – {{1Kings 19:18 “yet I will leave 7,000 in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not KISSED him.”}} Elijah was despondent thinking he was alone but the Lord assured him there were faithful ones as well who had not betrayed the Lord by worshipping Baal. In today’s world most people have kissed the feet of materialism and the statue of “God Rejection”.
THE KISS OF DIVINE PERFECTION – {{Psalm 85:10 “Loving-kindness and truth have met together. Righteousness and peace have KISSED each other.”}} The picture is of complete harmony, of perfect resonance. These attributes of God find absolute perfection and harmony. God’s truth must condemn the sinner but His loving kindness reaches out to man. Righteousness must destroy the sinner but peace reconciles him to God. There we have attributes in perfect harmony.
THE KISS OF GUTLESS DISHONESTY – {{“Proverbs 27:6 “Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but deceitful are the KISSES of an enemy.”}} A friend speaks the truth to a friend but an enemy deceives by a kiss. This has foreshadows of Judas. A friend may wound his true friend by straightforward honesty, but the deceiver, the enemy will lie openly to his face.
THE KISS OF THE BLACKEST BETRAYAL, or an expression that is in our language now – THE KISS OF DEATH – {{Matthew 26:48 Now he who was betraying Him gave them a sign saying, “Whomever I shall KISS, He is the one. Seize Him.”}} The betrayer’s kiss, the most evil of all. Betrayed by the one who ate bread with you. This is still alive and well in the world. Judas is infamous in his traitor’s role, but in the world you will find millions who have followed in his train.
THE KISS OF THE HIGHEST DEVOTION – {{Luke 7:44 and 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. Luke 7:45 You gave Me no KISS but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to KISS My feet.”}} Mary loved with the strongest devotion and by doing what she did, she showed her love for the Lord. It was a position of humility, but not forced; it was straight from her heart. Those who have been forgiven most will love the most. Let us worship at the feet of our risen Lord in heaven.,
THE KISS OF THE HIGHEST FATHERLY ACCEPTANCE – {{Luke 15:20 “and he got up and came to his father. While he was still a long way off, his father saw him, and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him, and KISSED him.”}} This was not only greeting but the genuine reception of a wayward son who had repented. It has overtones of a heavenly Father who receives a repentant son of His who falls into sin. Note the father’s endurance in waiting for the son until one day he sees his return. A Christian may fall and fail, but our heavenly Father waits for the return of the prodigal son. See 1John 1:8-10.
THE KISS OF GODLY LOVE – {{1Peter 5:14 “Greet one another with a KISS of love. Peace be to you all who are in Christ.”}} This “kiss” of love is shown among the people of God who ought to be united by love. Perhaps we don’t greet with a kiss that way today in some western societies but we must love fellow Christians genuinely and without deceitfulness. {{1Corinthians 13:4-5 “Love is patient. Love is kind, and is not jealous. Love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly. It does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered.”}}
CONCLUSION
The holy kiss that Paul mentions is very closely tied up with a number of concepts. Chief among those are the following – greeting, community, fellowship, acceptance, and oneness in the Lord Jesus Christ. In many places today the holy kiss is not practised as it was in Paul’s day and people are more aloof because of the nature of our society. Europeans tend to be different and it is more common. Even in places where it was customary, some have been restrained because of the Chinese Covid.
However, what is important is that we recognise and strengthen the concepts behind that holy kiss, so our true fellowships of God’s church does not suffer. The terrible state of the church generally is so sad. The hymn writer put his finger on it –
Though with a scornful wonder
The world sees her oppressed;
By schisms rent asunder,
By heresies distressed,
Yet saints their watch are keeping;
Their cry goes up, "How long?"
And soon the night of weeping
Shall be the morn of song.
This completes our small study on the holy kiss and I hope you can go away with something edifying from it. Love one another. Seek the good of each other. Wait in hope for the coming Rapture that must be so soon. God bless you all.
This ends our series of messages on 1Thessalonians. I trust it has strengthened us all. Amen.
ronaldf@aapt.net.au
