Kisses in the Bible
What role do kisses play in the Bible?
The first recorded
use of kisses in Scripture may have come when God (the member of the Godhead
who became Jesus Christ) gave consciousness to the first human being.
“Then the LORD God formed man of the
dust of the ground (the name "Adam" means "made of red
earth" or clay), and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and
man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7,
HBFV throughout)
Kisses and Jewish Tradition
Jewish legend
states based on Deuteronomy 34:5 that the death of Moses was accomplished
through a kiss given by God.
Jewish tradition
also states that when a person dies he is given last kisses before his eyes
were closed and the body prepared for burial.
Tradition
additionally infers, based upon a unique rabbinical interpretation of Psalm
62:12, that there were 903 ways of dying. The best and gentlest of these,
compared to drawing a hair out of milk, was called 'death by a kiss.'
The Old Testament
The aging Isaac
erroneously kissed Jacob, thinking it was his oldest son Esau, and gave him the
birthright blessing (Genesis 27:24 - 27).
Jacob kissed his
cousin and future wife Rachel the first time he met her (Genesis 29:11).
Despite earlier
chicanery, Esau greeted his brother with this show of affection (Genesis 33:4).
Joseph greeted his
brothers, who had sold him as a slave because they envied him, with this sign
of forgiveness (Genesis 45:14 - 15).
Israel kisses his
grandsons (through Joseph) before placing the family name upon them (Genesis 48:8 -
10).
When death came to
Israel Joseph gave him this sign of love (Genesis 49:33 - 50:1).
Joab, King David's
army commander, murdered rival general Amasa by pretending to give him this
symbol of greeting on the cheek (2 Samuel 20:8 - 10).
What
SPECIAL relationship does God want with us?
The New Testament
The New Testament
records that Christians gave each other kisses as a sign of greeting and love (see Romans 16:16,
1 Corinthians 16:20, 2 Corinthians 13:12, 1 Thessalonians 5:26, 1 Peter 5:14).
There has been
much speculation over the meaning of this practice (known as the "kiss of
charity" in the KJV translation of 1 Peter 5:14), but it certainly was not
a homosexual or lesbian-type show of affection.
The most famous of
all kisses in the Bible, however, is the one Judas gave to Jesus (the kiss of betrayal
or death). It was given in the Garden of Gethsemane, the place where Jesus and
the disciples went to after they finished celebrating their last Passover
together:
48 Now the one who was betraying Him (Judas Iscariot) gave
them (armed officers and other men provided by religious leaders who wanted to
kill Christ) a sign, saying, "Whomever I shall kiss, He is the One. Arrest
Him!" 49 And as soon as he came to Jesus, he said, "Hail,
Rabbi," and earnestly kissed Him. 50 But Jesus said to him,
"Friend, for what purpose have you come?" Then they came and laid
their hands on Jesus, and arrested Him. (Matthew 26:48 -
50, Mark 14:43 - 46 and Luke 22:47 - 48)
Kisses of respect
were not unusual during the time of Christ. In the first century, it was
customary for a student to greet a teacher in such a manner.
Ironically, Judas’
feigned token of affection precipitated Jesus' last miracle before his death
when he had to heal a servant's ear Peter impulsively chopped off in an attempt
to protect Christ (Luke 22:49 - 51).
Kisses in the
Bible have the power to cheer, the power to hurt, and the power to strengthen
or to murder.
The best one,
however, is the one that says, "Thank you," or "You are
special," or "I love you."
Would you want to have a deeper relationship with
God?
God has made it
possible for you to know Him and experience an amazing change in your own life
by receiving His Son, Jesus Christ, and have
eternal life.
Say the following prayer:
“Father God, I confess I
am a sinner and my sins have separated me from You.
I am truly sorry. I now want to turn
away from my past sinful life and live a new life pleasing to You.
Please forgive me, and
help me avoid sinning again.
I believe that Your Son,
Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and
hears my prayer.
I invite Jesus to become
the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Thank
You that according to your Word, I am now born again.
Please send Your Holy
Spirit to help me obey You, and to do Your will for the rest of my life. I
promise to study Your Word – the Bible.
Please use me for Your
glory.
In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.”
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My Child : FATHER'S LOVE LETTER
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I Have Loved You With an
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