1 Peter 5:14 Greet one another with the kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ.
We come to the last verse of this letter and Peter’s closing thought. It seems like a strange close in many cultures, of kissing one another. We have to look at this verse in its cultural context and realize that this was a symbol of the close bond between believers. It was obviously not romantic but shows the fellowship believers share today. In some cultures, a firm handshake would be similar. Other cultures also uses a kiss on the cheek. I have been to a few churches where there is little greeting among people, at least with any kind of affection and deep fellowship. There may be the token “passing the peace” or “meet and greet moment.” But that is often a rush to see how many people you can greet. Or, for visitors, it is a very awkward moment of standing alone while everyone else who seem to know one another smiles and shakes hands, or even gives hugs. Showing closeness and concern in fellowship is very important for life as a community, and it cannot be done in one minute in a Sunday morning service. The programming of modern churches makes fellowship and bonding very difficult, if not impossible. This is a challenge for the modern church to overcome.
Peter ends with a blessing of peace in Christ upon the scattered churches. This is what the world desperately needs, and it is what each of us needs. Such a closing statement is more than a “good bye” but reveals the genuine human longing. They way to experience true peace is in Christ.
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