Introduction
Hello all. My name is Seth and this is your daily devotion. When we greet someone, it’s a common practice in our culture to offer a handshake. It’s a gesture intended to show respect and foster a sense of equality between ourselves and our fellow man.
With that said, allow me to ruffle some feathers for a moment. Is a handshake truly the best way to greet someone? we’re all aware of the various health issues it could cause, but i want to focus on the social aspect. What does it truly mean to shake someone’s hand?
The Meaning
Handshaking has its origins as a gesture of peace or perhaps a symbol of sealing a pact, or coming to an agreement. In the modern day, however, I believe it carries a sort of vanity with it. Equality is good of course, but what is our mindset when we perform this gesture. What message are we conveying? Really, it the meaning could be broken down into two simple statements.
- “I am no greater than you.”
- “You are no greater than me.”
Now, you may be wondering what the problem is. This seems like a perfectly balanced and healthy philosophy. In fact, it would do the world a lot of good if more people thought this way. The thing is that if you’re a Christian like myself, you know that God holds us to a very different standard. Let’s look at what the Word says about this.
What the Bible Says
Romans 12:10-“Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.”
“‘Above yourselves’? I’m supposed to put others above me? That’s not equality.” No, as it turns out, it isn’t. Perhaps the values of Jesus are not quite what we thought. Let’s look at another scripture.
Matthew 20:26-28-
“But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Humility and servitude are very important to Christ. They may be even more important than equality. Afterall, did He not make Himself lower than us so that we could be lifted up? He was even washing the feet of His friends; and who could forget the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross? Never once was he concerned with whether or not He was equal. So, is our culture wrong then? What about the rest of the world?
Learning from Other Cultures
In the east, there tends to be a lot fewer handshakes and a lot more bowing. When you bow you literally make yourself lower than the person you’re greeting, thereby making them higher than you. This certainly puts a greater emphasis on respect. It also fulfills the Bible’s request for us to edify and uplift one another.
Now, I’m not saying we should just up and start bowing to random people. Western culture struggles with that concept and doing so may only embarrass the person you’re trying to encourage. What I am saying is that perhaps we should strive to adopt a mindset that causes us to edify, honor and uplift each other.
Conclusion/Prayer
We should also have a heart for serving others as Jesus would. We should continually seek to put our brothers, sisters and even our enemies before us. Are we any greater than our master? Remember this as well. What we do to the least of these, we do also to Christ. If Jesus were standing before you, would you offer Him a handshake or fall at His feet? Let’s pray on this.
Lord Jesus, thank You for Your perfect example of humility and servitude, both in Your ministry on earth and in Your sacrifice on the cross. You made Yourself lowly so that we could be lifted to Heaven. We’re not deserving of all that You’ve done for us, but You did it anyway. Remind us of this and teach us to look for opportunities to lift up our neighbors. We ask this in your name. Amen.
That’s all I’ve got for you. Go in peace.