It lasted for thirty hours, fifty nine minutes and twenty seven seconds, in New York city towards the end of 2001 and is recorded as the longest kiss in history. What some people will do to get into the record books! Can you imagine how you would feel after that length of time with your lips pressed against somebody else's lips? Can you imagine how numb your lips might feel? I can't imagine you'd be hurrying to kiss the same person again in a hurry. Officially, kissing is usually used to express affection towards another human being, but equally can be a sign of respect for someone and often is simply a way of saying 'hello' or 'goodbye'. There's an old saying that you have got to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince, or indeed princess, but I have no intention of exploring any personal history on the subject. Suffice to say that not all kisses carry the same affection, nor are they intended to do so. Nor is it really clear whether we have to learn to kiss or if it is merely instinctive but I guess a parent never needs to learn to kiss their child, to show their affection. While we are more comfortable with a hug or a handshake when we greet each other or say farewell, probably we have all become more used to seeing people kiss on meeting, usually with a peck on each cheek though often the lips don't even make contact with the other person and the kiss happens into the air. Parents will most likely kiss their children on the cheek too or even on the forehead, often as a comfort to the child and it is not unusual to witness a lady's hand being kissed by a gentleman while in many other countries, the act of kissing was more likely to happen between same sexes, again purely as a greeting or as a mark of respect. But no matter what type of kiss it is, it can be hard work for it takes over thirty muscles, working together each time.
And kissing has had its place in history too. The Pope normally kisses the ground of a country when he steps of the aeroplane while people who meet him, often kiss his ring. Various religious groups such as Muslims, Jews and Hindus will kiss symbols of their worship while, in Ireland, thousands of people over the years have performed the difficult physical feat of kissing the Blarney Stone, in the hope of gaining more eloquent speech. And indeed our fairy tales are littered with stories of romantic kisses awakening princes and princesses from slumber, like Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. Why even our footballers are prone to the occasional kiss to celebrate a goal or a win.
Of course the Bible has one or two memorable kisses, particularly when Jacob kissed Isaac and inherited his blessing by his deceit but some time later it would be a kiss from Esau to his brother which would indicate his forgiveness and heal their division. And it was a kiss between Moses and Aaron that signalled their partnership in bringing the Israelites out of Egypt, while Joseph would show his affection for his brothers and father after they were reunited in that same country. It was a kiss from Samuel that completed the anointing of Saul as king but a kiss of sadness that Naomi gave to Ruth and Orpah, encouraging them to put their bereavement behind them and find new husbands. But the most famous kiss in all of history is that which Jesus received from one of his closest followers for Judas had told his accusers, 'The one I kiss is the man; arrest him and lead him away under guard.' And as he approached his Master, Jesus said, 'Are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?' It was a kiss which changed man's history but a kiss that Jesus had waited for thirty three years to receive so that he could fulfill the promise God had made to Adam and Eve in the garden.
But the greatest kiss in the Bible was from the woman who, in coming face to face with Jesus, realised her sin and with her tears, washed his feet and kissed them. When we come face to face with the risen Christ and see our sin for what it is, we cannot show our love for Him, as that woman did, by a kiss but we can respond by seeking His forgiveness and serving Him with all our strength. May God give us the grace to love Him with all our hearts and may we, as Paul says, 'Greet one another with a holy kiss.' as a sign of our love for every believer.
