How would you interpret this text and apply it to our culture?

1. Look for clues within the literary context.

2. Research to understand the historical context. In other words, what was the custom and cultural understanding of kissing as a greeting in the first century?

a. Look up the word kiss in a Bible dictionary. The following is from Smith's Bible Dictionary.

Kiss: Kissing the lips by way of affectionate salutation was customary among near relatives of both sexes, in both patriarchal and later times. (Genesis 29:11; Song of Solomon 8:1) Between individuals of the same sex, and in a limited degree between those of different sexes, the kiss on the cheek as a mark of respect or an act of salutation has at all times been customary in the East, and can hardly be said to be extinct even in Europe. In the Christian Church the kiss of charity was practiced not only as a friendly salutation, but as an act symbolical of love and Christian brotherhood.