"Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine." (Song of Solomon 1:2 )
To speak of Him in such an intimate manner is something some (or most) would find sacrilegious. And yet how else am I to view God's purpose for inserting the Song of Solomon into His most beloved collection of books? Can it be possible that the God I love desires me to embrace His affection with equal passion? I cannot even dare to imagine the depth of His love for me.
He carries an old wooden cross on His shoulders, up a hill known for death. His face is unrecognizable, covered with blood. Streaks of it are coming down from the puncture wounds made by the thorns on His forehead. Everything about Him is red. No one can measure how much fluid He has already lost. He stumbles time and again but gets up, prompted by the urgent need to finish His journey.
He can barely see now. Scarlet is everywhere. He struggles again with His cross, mindless of the jeers and taunts.
"You're dead!" they chant. And the evil one screams with playful glee.
"Save yourself if you are God!"
"He will not because he cannot. He is just a man."
He is groping for something. No. It looks like He is looking around for someone. He quietly searches the faces around Him. The heat is unbearable. Sweat mingles with blood. Still, He looks and looks and looks, ignoring the tiny pebbles that make it painful for Him to walk.
He looks and looks and looks, then finds what He is looking for. It is me.
The joy of instant recognition flashes across His face as His gentle eyes meet mine. We are locked in time, and my heart is stabbed by a thousand knives.
He says nothing to me. He just smiles--weakly. But I know what it means. It means a million priceless things.
"Don't worry."
"Everything will be all right. You'll see."
"I am dirty and bleeding. But you will be purified and healed."
"Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine." His love, indeed, is much better than wine. It knows no boundaries--not even time. He loved me then, He loves me still, He will love me always. I know, for I have seen His blood-smeared footprints down the path that I walk. He has gone the way of death ahead of me, to abolish it with His own body. I shall see Him, face to face, one day: Him whom my soul loves.
