The Holy Kiss
Paul wrote to the Roman church to greet one another with a holy kiss. (Rom. 16.16) In an attempt to contextualize this verse, modern translators have often substituted the word kiss, to read: hearty hand-shake, fraternal hug, holy embrace, consecrated kiss, Christian love…you name it. The fact is, the Greek word is “filaymah”, which means: kiss.
Kissing has been around a long time. Some anthropologists believe it to be instinctual and intuitive to man, while others say it is learned behavior. It is true that kissing means different things to different ethnic groups, and there are some places where kissing is strictly limited and others where it is prohibited, but in general kissing is an expression of intimacy and affection. The Romans were fanatic kissers. They, of all people, were responsible for spreading this expression of greeting, respect and love to the peoples of Europe and throughout their empire. So why did Paul have to exhort these Roman believers to greet one another with a holy kiss.
The ancient, Jewish philosopher, Philo noted that there was a practice in the synagogue of what was called the “kiss of harmony”. This meaning that the Word of God would bring hostile things together in concord and love. The second-century Church, as recorded by Justin, practiced what was called the, “kiss of peace”. They would greet one another saying, “Peace be with you, my peace I give to you”, and then kiss. It was a sign that their souls were united and that they had put aside all memory of injury.
This is the context in which Paul wrote this exhortation to the Romans and also to the Church at Thessalonica. But, I would like us to focus on the adjective, “Holy”. Holiness is a characteristic of the nature of God Himself. A holy kiss is the nature of God that we transmit to others in an affectionate and loving manner. In Psalms 85, verse 10, we see righteousness and peace kissing each other. In verse 11, faithfulness springs up from the ground and righteousness looks down from the sky. Righteousness is God-given. Because of the blood of Jesus, we have been made righteous. What springs up from us is our faithfulness and peace and when joined with the Lord’s righteousness, they kiss.
Miguel Angelo, in his painting of the Sistine Chapel in Rome, painted man’s finger touching the finger of God. This is so limited in revealing our relationship to our Lord. A kiss is far more expressive. David writes: “Kiss the Son…” (Ps. 2.12) The woman who anointed Jesus’ feet with an expensive perfume and kissed his feet in repentance and adoration received forgiveness for her sins and peace from God. Jesus said that salvation had come to her that day. When our children would fight and hurt each other, we would have them ask forgiveness of each other and then kiss and make up. A holy kiss is a sign of reconciliation and peace. It is saying: “I have nothing against you. There is only peace between us. We are reconciled.”
Scriptures to meditate on:
Romans 16.16; I Thess. 5.26; Psalms 2.12; 85.7-13; II Cor. 5.21; Luke 7.36-50