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Thursday, November 12, 2009

It all started with a kiss

A rub on the back. A warm hug. A kiss on the cheek. These are just some of the ways we show affection and love for someone.  These are also the things that change  a relationship from an acquaintance or a friend to family.  Think about this in terms of your own relationship with your spouse or family. What would your relationship be if the only sign of affection to your spouse was a firm handshake? 
I try  to kiss and hug my children everyday. I want to show them that I love and care for them in an intimate way. I guess in a sense it moves me from merely saying " I love you" to actually meaning it. 
I thought about this as I continue my bible study of John, a " disciple whom Jesus loved."  I just came across the chapter where Judas betrays Jesus. He doesn't just say " There He is, Go get him!" Instead he makes it a point  to greet him with a kiss, which was customary during this time. What a brutal betrayal this really was. It wasn't just anyone ratting him out to get a "piece of the pie", but it was one of his own. It was someone He had spent a lot of time with, teaching, discipling and making him more like Himself. As a matter of fact, after his resurrection, He calls all of His disciples " his brothers". The disciples were His family.  It must have been like a knife through Jesus's heart. I wonder if this is the reason why, during the last Supper, Jesus says to Judas " What you are going to do, do quickly." Perhaps it was the Lord's way of dealing with  this brutal blow to His soul. 
It all started with a kiss.
Yet, God, who is our picture of redemption, allows us as His disciples to redeem that kiss everyday. We can be the touch of God people are desperately seeking, yet never finding.   Think about it: what if we treated everyone whom we have a relationship with as family? What if we made every effort to give a hug, or a quick touch on the back, or a handshake? How would that change our relationship with those people?
Who do you know who could use a touch from God today? 
How can you be a picture of redemption that all started with a kiss?

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