What Does the Bible Have to Say About Hospitality?

I. Its Roots

A. The State of Hospitality

1. Hospitality is the practice of inviting someone to your home and sharing a meal or even providing lodging. This can be provision for both friend and stranger.

2. Culturally showing hospitality during the periods of both the Old and New Testaments was very common. In the ANE and in Jewish culture especially the practice of hospitality was highly regarded. It was considered a great privilege to make provision (either food or shelter) for the weary traveler. An eager host was ready at any moment to show hospitality to the surprise visitor – such opportunities were met with joy and gladness.

3. In the hustle and bustle lifestyles of the 21st Century – hospitality is not so common and even when it does happen, it has to be planned – sometimes a week or two in advance. Why is this?

a. People are busier than they used to be, not necessarily more productive mind you, but busier. Schedules are out of control – people run frantic from one activity to the next and when they finally do have some down time they are so exhausted – they are not ready or willing to deal with surprise visitors. Their schedules are too rigid to allow it. Others just don’t want to be bothered with the time and effort it takes to be hospitable.

b. Now certainly a somewhat valid reason why hospitality has waned is fear – strangers are scarier today than they were in generations past. Much of this has to do with the general moral decline of our society and culture – the more God-consciousness declines, the bolder sinful, violent and scary people become. But there is no reason we cannot be hospitable while proceeding with caution.

4. And this of course is not just a problem, out there, in the world; it is a problem in here … in the church. Are we ready and willing to receive visitors when they come to the church? Now certainly it helps to have regular fellowship meals as it is easy to invite visitors to stay. But what about the off weeks – if a visitor shows up are we ready and willing to invite them home for a meal? What if someone shows up who does not look like us, or talk like us or smell like us? Are we willing to take a risk and invite them to our home and share a meal with them? Not just focusing on us here – but it is everywhere – when was the last time you visited another church while on vacation and got an invitation for lunch? If brothers and sisters in Christ aren’t being hospitable with one another than obviously non-Christian strangers are out of the question. So what does the Bible have to say about hospitality?

B. Aliens in a Strange Land

1. In the OT, the practice of hospitality for the Jews was rooted in the command God gave to remember His generous grace and mercy toward them. The Lord commands: Ex 23:9 "And you shall not oppress a stranger, since you yourselves know the feelings of a stranger, for you also were strangers in the land of Egypt. The Israelites were called to remember what it was like being strangers in a foreign land that eventually became hostile toward them. Here God commands that they were not to be abusive toward strangers but be hospitable toward them. This was further expounded in the Levitical code: Lev 19:10, 33-34 'Nor shall you glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the needy and for the stranger … 33'When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. 34 'The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you were aliens in the land of Egypt. Here we see that provision is to be made for strangers either by leaving extra grain in the field or by treating them as brothers and loving them. This was also reinforced in Deuteronomy 10:18-19 18 "He executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and shows His love for the alien by giving him food and clothing. 19 "So show your love for the alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt. In this passage we see the close connection made for the care of orphans, widows and strangers a connection that will continue throughout Scripture. They all were to be taken care of and provided for. This is true hospitality.

C. Early Examples

1. But even before the Law of Moses there was already an established cultural practice of showing hospitality to strangers. These are just two examples from Genesis that are noteworthy.

2. First in Gen. 14 Abraham is on his way back from routing some foreign invaders and rescuing his nephew Lot and the people of Sodom. 18-20 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High. 19 And he blessed him and said, "Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; 20 And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand." This Melchizedek seems to come out of nowhere and not only shows hospitality to Abraham but also bestows on him a blessing. And what’s more Abraham shows his gratitude to Melchizedek by “giving him a tenth”. This whole incident was significant because Melchizedek was at least a type of Christ if not a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ. And so this Christ figure sets a pattern for hospitality.

3. The second example also involves Abraham, but this time Abraham is the host and not the guest. Gen 18:2-5 2 And when he lifted up his eyes and looked, behold, three men were standing opposite him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the earth, 3 and said, "My lord, if now I have found favor in your sight, please do not pass your servant by. 4 "Please let a little water be brought and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree; 5 and I will bring a piece of bread, that you may refresh yourselves; after that you may go on, since you have visited your servant." Here we see Abraham eagerly ready to serve and in fact he pleads with these strangers to come and rest and be provided for in his home. This gives us a great example of the zeal and willingness to show hospitality, even at the spur of the moment. It is later revealed that Abraham’s guests are no ordinary guests but are the Lord and two angels. More on this incident later. But these two examples helped to fuel the hospitality bug for Israel.

D. The Love Command

1. In the NT hospitality becomes rooted first and foremost in the Second Great Commandment: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself”. In fact, this was essentially what God had commanded Israel when He commanded them to “receive” and “love” the strangers as if they were brothers. It doesn’t get any more neighborly than to invite someone over for a meal and fellowship.

2. In the parable of the Good Samaritan where Jesus defines “Who is my neighbor” – the Samaritan man was a good neighbor and though it is true that the Samaritan was also a traveler and did not take the man to his own home – he was very much hospitable toward the distressed stranger: Lu 10:33-35 and when he saw him, he felt compassion, 34 and came to him, and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 "And on the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, 'Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return, I will repay you.' This is hospitality at its finest.

E. Commanded of All Christians (especially officers of the Church)

1. This basic command of showing our love toward our neighbors by being hospitable is repeated throughout the NT. The Apostle Paul charges the Roman believers to live godly lives and to show brother love toward one another. One way to do this is to practice hospitality. 12:9-13 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; 11 not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 12 rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, 13 contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.

2. Peter exhorts the same thing in 1 Pe 4:8-9 Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Be hospitable to one another without complaint. Here we learn that hospitality should be a delight and not a chore. We should do it willingly without complaining.

3. And though hospitality is a duty of all believers it is especially a duty to be exhibited by the leaders of the church, the elders. 1 Tim 3:2 An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, If the elders are not setting the example of loving one another and loving one’s neighbor through hospitality then it is likely no one else in the church is either.

II. Its Blessings

A. Obedience to Christ

1. Providing hospitality brings several blessings. Not that we should practice hospitality in order to get something for ourselves but certainly there is a by-product. Melchizedek did not have his eye on Abraham’s plunder. Abraham’s gift of a tenth or tithe to Melchizedek was Abraham’s own willing response to Melchizedek’s kindness.

2. But when we show hospitality we are truly blessed because we are being obedient to Christ’s command to love our neighbors as ourselves. Jesus even promises a blessing when we are generous even in hospitality Acts 20:35 remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"

3. And so even though we don’t obey with the purpose of getting something in return – when we serve and obey Christ we often do get something in return: Hospitality is listed as one of the duties faithfully carried out by women who are now widows and in need of care from the church: 1 Tim 5:9-10 Let a widow be put on the list only if she is not less than sixty years old, having been the wife of one man, 10 having a reputation for good works; and if she has brought up children, if she has shown hospitality to strangers, if she has washed the saints' feet, if she has assisted those in distress, and if she has devoted herself to every good work. These widows were rewarded for their faithful kindness and generosity.

B. Witnessing

1. Another blessing of showing hospitality is having an opportunity to show the love of Christ to someone who may not be a believer but the Lord may use the experience for the Gospel of Grace to go forth.

2. Again it is not that we invite non-believers over so we can lock the doors behind them and not let them go until they have made a profession of faith in Christ. But practicing hospitality does show an open and unconditional love for one’s neighbor and stranger that may speak to them much more loudly then spoken words.

C. Angels Unawares (and Christ)

1. But there are some other surprising benefits to practicing hospitality. The writer to the Hebrews was likely thinking of Abraham and the three strangers when he wrote: Heb 13:1-2 Let love of the brethren continue. 2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it. By entertaining strangers we may actually be entertaining angels – how are we to know? Those whom Abraham served looked like men, they talked like men and they ate food like men. How could he tell? How do we know whether someone who comes to our door or visits at church is not a messenger of the Lord sent to test our love and compassion?

2. But it is not just serving angels that we must be keen on – it is also serving our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus says Matthew 25:35 35 'For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; but when did we do this …. Jesus continues 40 "Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.' When we serve and show hospitality toward others, other church members, other Christians or strangers that come in off the street; we are serving and showing hospitality toward Jesus Christ Himself. Certainly good cause to be diligent about hospitality.

III. How to Do It: The Example of Abraham

A. Be Ready and Willing

1. So we know that the Bible clearly commands us to practice hospitality. But how are we to do it. Let us consider again the example of Abraham and the three strangers in Gen. 18.

2. Abraham was himself sitting under a tree resting when the surprise visitors came. But once he saw them we are told that he jumped up and ran to greet them and pleaded with them to stay for rest and refreshment. Once they agreed, Abraham scurried around to pull together a satisfying meal.

3. Although Abraham had to hustle around and make preparations for the visitors, there is a sense that he was ready and willing to extend an invitation of Hospitality to surprise visitors. Of course, the problem with surprise visitors is that you don’t know when they are going to come – that’s why it is a surprise. But even still, it is possible to have a ready and willing attitude for when they do arrive. Abraham was caught off guard, but not unprepared.

4. So having a willing and ready attitude and as Peter challenged without complaining, we should practice hospitality.

B. Be Simple but Generous

1. It is also important to note that hospitality does not need to be a big fancy production. A simple offer of bread and water and a cool place to rest was all that was necessary for Abraham’s guests. Now Abraham did end up providing a most generous meal for these visitors, but; he initially only offers something very simple. The point to remember is that he extended the invitation. If the visitors thought they could get a better deal under the next oasis they may have moved on, but since they were not asking for anything, they accepted what was kindly offered. So it is good to keep it simple.

2. However, though it does not have to be fancy – it should be most generous according to one’s means. Abraham was a man of some means and wealth and so he was able to offer an abundance of food. He asked Sarah to make cakes with “fine” flour only used on special occasions. But not only was it generous to use the best flour – she also made a generous amount. One measure of flour would have been more than sufficient but Sarah uses three measures. Suddenly this “piece of bread” has multiplied into an abundance of the best bread available. Abraham also gets a “tender and choice calf” from his herd and to finish off the meal, not just water, but curds and milk are offered to help the visitors enjoy the full flavor of the meal and quench their thirst. What a delightful surprise for these visitors – they were offered bread and water and they were given a full and delicious meal. Abraham treated his guests with the utmost respect and honor and a desire to see them feel most welcome and at home.

3. Abraham was doing as we should in practicing hospitality showing our love for our neighbor and the stranger. He was ready and willing, it was simple but generous. By faithfully practicing hospitality we are not only showing our love for our neighbor but also an most especially showing our love for our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ who is even now preparing a place for us at His banquet table in Heaven. This is what the Bible says about hospitality.

Sing Psalm 146A