Kiss Of Betrayal

I’ve been told that to worship is to kiss the face of God… beautiful imagery isn’t it? Worship is a symbol that no matter how far away we may feel God is right at hand and we can even kiss His face, a face that even Moses couldn’t set eyes upon; the face of the Yahweh the Creator. It is such a beautiful symbol.

But what happens when that becomes twisted? What happens when we worship with our mouths but our lives become a contradiction of that worship? What happens when we acknowledge God with our lips but our hearts are far from Him?

I have been pondering the story of Jesus’ betrayal. Judas, one of Christ’s closest followers leads some of the High Priest’s men, who will arrest Him and ultimately have Him crucified, to where Jesus is praying. Judas’ price was only 30 coins. And how did he betray Jesus? With a kiss. With a kiss upon Jesus’ face Judas sentenced Jesus to His flogging, His mocking, and His death.

It’s really not the kiss that killed Jesus though is it? It’s the choice behind the kiss. It’s not the songs we sing to Jesus that really matter. It’s not what we do for an hour on Sunday morning or Wednesday night that really makes a difference. It’s the life behind the kiss that really matters. For Judas the kiss wasn’t really for Jesus, it was for himself. It was what he had to do to get what he wanted. Worship can sometimes be much more for us than for God. We kiss God’s face in order to check it off of some sort of spiritual list so we can go on living our life the way we want to and the worship has no constitution over our lives. Sometimes our kiss is the kiss of betrayal. It is a slap on the face of God.

Worship goes far beyond the kiss.

It’s our lives that God wants. It is the life that gives the kiss its meaning. If the life dishonors God and takes advantage of people then the kiss is a kiss of betrayal. But if the life is one that loves God and loves people and earnestly seeks to live in tune with God’s intention then the kiss is a kiss of worship.

Is yours a kiss of betrayal or a kiss of worship? If it only took 30 coins to change Judas’ heart what would it take to change yours? Your price may be lower than you think.