The Grace of Hospitality
A Christian view of hospitality is rooted in the Old Testament where we note that God “loves the sojourner” (Deut 10:18). It is a part of Israel’s story to whom God said, “You shall not wrong a sojourner or oppress him, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt” (Ex 22:21). The importance of hospitality is demonstrated positively in the stories of Abraham (Gen 18), Lot (Gen 19), Rebekah (Gen 24) and others.
In the New Testament, hospitality was a practical issue. Although inns were common, most were far from ideal and some were no more than brothels. Jesus and his disciples often depended on the hospitality of others. During the missionary expansion of the church, you see traveling believers being hosted in the towns which they visited.
S. C. Barton suggests that “hospitality, for Paul as for Jesus before him, is not just a practical issue. It is a fundamental expression of the gospel: a response to God’s hospitality to humankind in providing Christ as the ‘paschal lamb’ (1 Cor 5:7) and an outworking of what it means to be members of the one ‘body of Christ’.”
Not only is hospitality a fundamental expression of the Christian faith, it is also an outworking of Christian love. The connection drawn between brotherly love and hospitality is clearly demonstrated in Romans 12:10-13: “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.”
Although today we tend to retreat into our homes after work and “nail the door shut behind us”, as Christians, we need to revisit our responsibility to engage our co-workers and neighbors for the cause of Christ. In showing hospitality to others and opening our homes and hearts to them, we have the opportunity to refresh Christians and give a viable witness to non believers.
