Discussion Jumpstarter
Study leader reference - not a definitive answer
Question 9
The “holy kiss” is treated as a command (repeated in Romans/Corinthians) and tied to communion as a heart-test—an impure kiss becomes a “Judas kiss”; how would practicing a real kiss of peace (or an equivalent embodied reconciliation) function as church discipline on hidden resentments, factionalism, or unresolved conflict before the Table?
Another way to ask: The “holy kiss” is treated like a command and a test of the heart before communion, since a fake kiss becomes a “Judas kiss.” How could a real peace-making act (like a kiss of peace or another practice) expose and deal with hidden anger, divisions, or unresolved conflict before the Table?
Discussion Jumpstarter
Direct Answer
Dean and Bryant present the kiss of peace as an embodied command that pressures the church toward real reconciliation; because a false kiss can become a “Judas kiss,” it exposes hypocrisy and pushes believers to make things right before communion.
- Dean emphasizes it as command, not mere description: “Greet one another with a holy kiss” appears repeatedly (Romans 16:16; 1 Cor 16:20; 2 Cor 13:12, etc.).
- Bryant says the kiss of peace is “a chance to make things right… if there is something between you.”
- Dean adds an early-church warning: if the kiss is not pure “then it’s a Judas kiss,” making it a “test of your heart.”
- Dean connects it directly to communion preparation, alongside foot washing: foot washing helps “make sure you’re right… right with your brethren,” then greeting one another, then “the communion.”
- Both describe it as building brotherhood: it communicates “you’re one of us… draws everything together.”