Kisses
It’s nearly unavoidable that the mere idea of ‘kisses’ evokes the romantic ideal of such, a passionate embrace between a couple that links to souls, and indeed bodies, at the oral labial protrusion. This is idea is not wrong, is very real, and is very desirable and is rightly perceived as the plateau of passion before the peak of passion in intercourse. Yes, the Lord of heaven and earth made bodies; bodies are good, and he was the designer and wisdom behind the glories of sexuality. Hopefully, by now, the reader would know that much of this site is dedicated to eradicating the extremity of Gnosticism; that is, that physical matter and nature are inherently evil and that humans ultimate good is to transcend the physical plane to achieve enlightenment and bliss in the ethereal heavenly realm. This is not so. But we must avoid the other extreme as well, which relegates everything to only the physical realm. The Song of Solomon rightly lauds the wonderful bliss and pleasures of the kiss of the lover - “Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth—for your love is more delightful than wine.” (Song of Solomon 1:2). Yes even in this passage, there is almost certain a dual and deeper meaning, though the plain meaning of the physical kiss of a lover is not to be disregarded. However, there are other instances where a kiss signifies something deeper still. A kiss can be a pure act of betrayal, as in the instance of Judas, where the sign of deep friendship and brotherly affection was used to backstab; “Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The one I kiss is the man; arrest him and lead him away under guard.” (Mk 14:44). What’s more, we are commanded to ‘kiss the Son’ lest God be angry and His wrath flare up in a moment against us. This kind of kissing has little to do with romantic passion and is certainly the opposite of betrayal. It is the kind of kiss that shows allegiance as much as, if not more than, affection and shows reverence instead of romance. It is the kind of kiss that shows deference more than emotion. The kind of kiss that shows submission rather than subjective emotions. This is the kind of kiss we ought to give the Son.
