The Kiss of Life
John 20:19-22
Several years ago, an article appeared in the newspapers, describing a series of events that were astonishing. It seems that several people were rescued from the jaws of death because someone performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on them, e.g., a boy who was accidentally electrocuted as the result of touching a bare wire at a construction site, or the man who suffered cardiac arrest in an airport terminal, or the hiker who tore an artery in his wrist on a jagged rock.
What makes it so amazing is that in each case an off-duty physician performed CPR, the “Kiss of Life,” and in effect, saved their lives! And what makes it all the more astounding is that it was the same doctor in each of these crisis events. Dr. Max Benis, of Sherman Oaks, California, an allergist who just happened to be in the right place at the right time, rescued 19 in the same manner. He performed these acts of heroism at great risk to his own career, especially in the light of recent court cases that involved law suits brought against doctors for malpractice.
But as grand as this physician’s deeds were, there is another One, far greater who daily performs spiritual CPR as He breathes upon humanity His “Kiss of Life.” The Bible provides at least five examples of when God breathed out His best.
The first divine kiss appears early in the pages of Scripture. In Genesis 2:7, we read, The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being (NIV). The Hebrew word that is translated “soul” or “being” is nephesh and denotes a complete person. All of us derive our lives directly from God. Without His breath we are lifeless and incomplete.
James Kidd, a New York recluse, vanished many years ago, leaving only a hand-written will. It directed that his estate, valued at more than $200,000 be given to anyone who could prove that his soul existed. A college professor from Mount San Antonio Jr. College presented a foot-thick manuscript to the court of Judge Robert Myers of Phoenix, Arizona in the summer of 1967. It was supposed to prove the existence of the soul and net the prof all that dough. Well it was never announced how the case came out. Perhaps the judge is still reading the manuscript! In any case, as far as the existence of the soul is concerned, the matter was settled long ago. The fact of the existence of the soul was settled in the Creation.
Man is unique. He is what he is because God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. This “breath” makes man a spiritual being. Consider Job 32:8: But it is the spirit in a man, the breath of the Almighty, that gives him understanding.” We are far more than an animal. God imparted his moral, intellectual, and creative self into us when he breathed into our nostrils. We are made in His image!
John bishop tells of a man riding his bicycle along the shores of a lake when he heard a boy screaming for help. He was thrashing helplessly in the water, about to drown. So the man swam out and brought him to the beach, where for ten minutes he gave him CPR—the kiss of life. When the boy revived, he looked up into the face of his rescuer and said, “Thank you sir, for saving my life.” And the man responded, “That’s all right, son, just live your life as though it was worth saving.” Not bad advice for all of us. In creation, God planted Hid kiss upon us. He had great plans for us. And now it is incumbent upon us to live as though we were worth creating.
The second example of divine exhalation has to do with the inspiration of the Bible. In Paul’s second letter to Timothy, he wrote, All Scripture is God-breathed (3:16). And Peter, in his second epistle, wrote, …men of God spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit (1:21).
God breathed out his thoughts upon the minds, hearts, and personalities of certain godly men to give us the Scriptures. Here is a family living in Michigan. A son grows up and moves to California. Once a month his mother writes him a long letter, revealing the things that are happening at home, as well as the thoughts of her own heart. She tells of the sickness in his family, the death of a neighbor, the birth of a new baby, and the wedding of friends. We call this a “human revelation.” When God wanted to send a message to His human family, He breathed on holy men of old and inspired them to write the Bible. This is called “divine revelation.” God revealed how the world was made and then He put His own great thoughts in the Book as well. Thank God for His “kiss of life” upon these men of old. The Bible tells the history of mankind and the story of the Babe who was born to die. It tells of a man’s sin and God’s great love for sinners. It tells of a man’s power of choice and his opportunity for salvation. It tells us about heaven and about hell. It tells us how to treat one another. What a marvelous Book! What a glorious message! And no wonder. It is God-breathed.
The third kiss of life occurred when Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, breathed His last breath. Luke 23:46: And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.” Having said this, He breathed His last. His mission was accomplished. He died that we might live. He kissed the world. Was ever a kiss so loving? When Adam and Eve fell, one might say that Satan gave them the “kiss of death,” but Jesus came to revive us! Praise His holy name!
The Viet Nam Veteran’s Memorial in Washington, D.C. is visited annually by thousands of veterans and their families. One day three men who served together in that campaign were there reading the names of their deceased comrades—56,156 names inscribed on that black stone. Suddenly their eyes fell on their own names! They had been listed as killed in action, a governmental blunder. These men had been thought dead but were actually very much alive. Satan reckoned us spiritually dead—and in fact we once were, according to Ephesians 2:1-10. But Christ has made us alive! He brought us back from a spiritual grave, from slavery to Satan, from a state of separation from God.
When Jesus told Nicodemus, You must be born again, He was telling the truth! Nicodemus was alive physically but dead within. He needed the breath of the Holy Spirit, and so do we. As the songwriter put it, “Breath on us breath of God, fill us with life anew.”
The fourth instance of the kiss of life has to do with the defeated believer. Paul wrote in Ephesians 5:18: Be filled with the Spirit. He was writing to believers—those who were weak, carnal, self-centered, defeated. Paul wrote from personal experience that it is not enough simply to be breathed on in salvation. We need something more. We need the power of God! We need the Spirit of God to breathe on us in sanctifying power—to make our hearts pure and our witness strong. Without the power of God released in our lives we are like a soldier facing a tank with a rifle. Satan, the trials of life, temptation—these are just too much for us to handle by ourselves. We need divine assistance, a power that is not native to us, but available to every child of God.
A few years ago, during the Rose Parade of Pasadena, California, one of the large floats suddenly stopped. Those who attended it tried in vain to get it going again. The sponsor of the float was Standard Oil Company. Do you know what the trouble was? It was out of gas! Not unlike a Christian who seeks to live a victorious life apart from the Spirit’s enabling. When we yield to the Spirit’s control, His breath will produce a new power in our lives.
The fifth and last example of the “holy kiss” can be found in the Book of Acts, chapter two, when God sent the Holy Spirit to descend upon the Church, the body of Christ. And when the Spirit breathed upon the corporate body, everything changed. Fearful followers of Christ became bold preachers of the Gospel. Pentecost is synonymous with purity and power. Once breathed upon, the church moved forward to accomplish her mission.
Robert Moffat, father-in-law of David Livingstone was leaving home for the first time. His mother asked him to promise her something. She drew his face down to hers and said, “Robert, you are going out into a wicked world. Begin every day with God.” Then she kissed him, and afterwards he testified that the kiss made him a missionary.
There is a spiritual analogy to that in the church. It is the kiss of the living Christ in revival that supplies the motivation and momentum of its missionary zeal. Oh, how we need the Holy Spirit to breathe out upon our lives, upon our church, upon our nation, upon our tasks. Breathe on us breath of God!
