Despite all the risk and cost, as we see in Romans 12, we as Christians are to practice hospitality. To define hospitality according to scripture, we could summarize it by saying that Hospitality is to show love to strangers. That is a new covenant command for God’s people in the post-ascension era of Christ’s reign. This is a command for us today.
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
Matthew 25:34-40
Hospitality is something every Christian should be doing, but what exactly is hospitality? Hospitality can mean different things based on your culture, and upbringing. For some hospitality is what you receive when you stay in a hotel. A clean bed, space to be alone, a lavish breakfast and the ability to have your needs meet 24 hours day, that may be the definition of hospitality. For others, hospitality is someone opening their home for you to stay. Instead of a lavish breakfast, room to yourself, and your needs met 24 hours, you are invited into a home to help prepare the meals and to share rooms with others.
When thinking of hospitality we may think of family and friends gathering together. Hospitality can also mean a time when strangers are gathered together. Depending on your culture, it might be normal or weird to have strangers in your home. When we were a young family in seminary with only 1 child, we invited some other students over to our small apartment to join in Thanksgiving together. We were from different states, nations, and cultures and although we knew each other by name, we were not yet good friends. Despite our differences, because of our connection with Christ, we were able to show hospitality to each other and have a wonderful meal together.
Beyond our cultural perceptions of hospitality, lets see what God has to say about hospitality in His inspired, inerrant, authoritative Word.
First we look at Acts 28:7. Here we are in the middle of a story about Paul and his missionary travels. As he is traveling through a city, he is in need of some where to stay. A Roman official offers him a place to stay for the 3 days that he is in town.
There was an estate nearby that belonged to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us to his home and showed us generous hospitality for three days. (Acts 28:7)
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