The Radical Command: Why "Saluting" Is a Revolutionary Act

We’ve all done it. We’re walking down the street, we see someone we don't particularly like or someone who looks "different" from us, and we suddenly find something very interesting to look at on our phones. We withhold our gaze. We withhold our greeting. We withhold our salute.

In our modern ears, "salute" sounds like a military gesture. But in the New Testament, the Greek word aspazomai means to wrap your arms around, to welcome, or to acknowledge someone’s value.

When Jesus and the Apostles spoke about saluting, they weren't just talking about being polite. They were talking about radical inclusion.

1. Beyond the Inner Circle

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus calls out our tendency to be "cliquey."

Matthew 5:47 (KJV): "And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?"

Jesus point is sharp: Even "bad" people are nice to their friends. If you only acknowledge people who look like you, vote like you, or belong to your "tribe," you aren’t practicing Christian love; you’re just practicing social comfort. A "salute" to an enemy is a declaration that they are human and made in the image of God.

2. The Great Equalizer: The Holy Kiss

In the Roman world, where Paul wrote his letters, society was strictly divided. You didn't salute a slave the same way you saluted a master. But Paul flipped the script.

• Romans 16:16: "Salute one another with an holy kiss."

• 1 Peter 5:14: "Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity."

By commanding the "holy kiss," the New Testament writers were forcing a social revolution. They were saying that in the Kingdom of God, there is no "us and them." To salute someone is to grant them equal status at the table of Christ.

3. Saluting as a Spiritual Gift

A greeting is more than a "hello"—it is a transfer of peace. Jesus told his disciples:

"And when ye come into an house, salute it. And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it..." (Matthew 10:12-13)

Every time you acknowledge someone—especially the "invisible" people like the cashier, the stranger, or the person on the street corner—you are literally offering the peace of Christ to them. You are saying, "I see you, and God sees you."

4. "All the Saints Salute Thee"

This week’s verse, 2 Corinthians 13:13, reminds us that we belong to a global family: "All the saints salute thee." This isn't just a sign-off at the end of a letter. It is a reminder that across the world, believers you have never met are rooting for you. We are part of a massive, interconnected web of grace where everyone should be seen and everyone should be engaged.

The Challenge

This week, pay attention to who you don't want to salute. Who do you avoid eye contact with? Who do you walk past without a word?

The radical command is this: Break the silence. Offer the salute. Because when we salute the "least of these," we are saluting Christ Himself.

"A salute is a public recognition of someone’s value and belonging."

Who will you recognize today?