The other evening as my wife and I climbed into bed to watch some television, our phone rang. It was one of the elders of the church who was having trouble preparing for an upcoming sermon on hospitality. He asked if I would look into the subject and see if I could find some information that could help him.
I was thrilled to investigate since it was not my typical subject matter (I’m sure you all know this about me).
So, this post is the results of that inquiry. Let’s jump in and see what I found.
Definitions
There are basically two Greek words that define hospitality for the Christian, namely φιλοξενία (philoxenia) which means to “receive and show hospitality to the stranger” or the “lover of strangers” (1 Tim 3:2; 1 Pet 4:9; Rom 12:13; Heb 13:2) and ξενία (Xenia) which is “the rights of a guest.” This second word is the most often one associated with hospitality in either the LXX or the NT (Sir 29:25; 2 Macc 9:6; Acts 10:23; Heb 13:2). In the Near East, hospitality is regarded as a right by the traveler and a duty of the host.
Idiomatically, it is described as ‘to let a stranger sit at one’s table,’ or ‘to offer a bed to a stranger,’ or ‘to let a stranger enter one’s house.’
History of Hospitality
It began, at least biblically and for Israel, back in Ex 23:9; Lev 19:33–34; and De 10:19; 24:17–18. Because they themselves had been strangers when coming up out of Egypt, they were to in turn treat the stranger and the alien with hospitality. This is illustrated again and again throughout the Old Testament:
Hospitality of Abraham (Gen 18:1-15) – We find here Abraham beside himself to serve the three strangers that enter his camp. I have always presumed that somehow Abraham knew at least who the Lord was in this account, given not only his urgency and overall peculiar demeanor, but his later conversation he has when the Lord after the two angels depart for the valley. It certainly illustrates the culture of the times and region, but I would argue there is more in the subtext that we do not have access to (i.e. their appearances, or Abraham’s knowledge of their true identities).
Hospitality of Lot (Gen 19:1-10) – This, of course, is the oft talked about account of the man who took in the two angels from the Abraham account that occurred up on the mountain just prior to. This is an example of the extremity to which the cultural hospitality does extend, even to the point of Lot offering up his two daughters to the men of the town (the same two daughters that would take advantage of him sexually in the aftermath). This is, of course, the first example in the Bible of such extremes. There will be at least one more.
Hospitality of Rebekah (Ge 24:15-32) – We see this in how she treats the servant, Eliezer. He is given all that he needs from her as a sign to convince him that she is the one for his master’s son.
Hospitality of an Old Man (Judg 19:16-30) – This, of course, is the second and even more bizarre than the first, account of the man in question offering up his daughter (and his own concubine) to the men of the town so that he might protect the stranger residing under his roof. The first account saw the offer rejected, but in this account it is not only accepted but the men of the town not only rape the two women throughout the night, but they end up killing them and leaving them on the doorstep of the father/husband. He, in a utterly inconceivable fashion, cuts them into pieces and sends them to different places around Israel. No explanation is provided as to the meaning of this event.
Hospitality of Zacchaeus (Luke 19:5-10) – We see in this account the tax collector following the command of Jesus and receiving him joyfully. We not only witness the “right of the traveler” but also the “obligation of the host.”
Hospitality of Mary (John 12:3) – Mary is given to hospitality as she washed the feet of Jesus with costly oil. Judas reprimands her but Jesus commends her for her treatment of him.
Hospitality of Publius (Acts 28:7) – This was an influential member of the island community who had lands and an estate. He took them in, fed them and entertained them for three day. Paul healed his host’s father during his stay.
Hospitality of Jesus (John 13:3-17) – In this account, Jesus becomes the exemplar for both host and stranger as he washes the feet of his disciples.
Peter’s Lack of Hospitality (Gal 2:11–14) – An issue arises when Peter would gladly eat with gentile believers until men came from James who were Jewish and he then separated himself in their presence. This Paul refuted with him face to face.
The Christian Obligation
We find that this idea of hospitality extends to the Christian in some interesting ways (Rom 12:13; 15:7; Heb 13:2; 1 Pet 4:9). We are called not only to be hospitable but to be “eager” in this respect. We are to “pursue it.” It is something we are to be given to do (Ro 12:11; Matt 25:35) and we are to do so without grumbling or dissatisfaction (1 Pe 4:9). This is one element of the Christian obligation that hits home for me. I absolutely distain having people to my house, having guests stay the night, hosting them, or in any way socializing with other people.
Yet, despite this, we are obligated by Christ and by his Word to do so.
The Bizarre Angel Angle
This is where it gets particularly interesting because Paul (or whoever it was that wrote the book of Hebrews) states that one of the reasons we should be hospitable to strangers is the fact that some have unwittingly entertained angels by doing so. (He 13:2).
My first thought is: Paul must be referring to the visit Abraham had with God and the two angels who would later venture down into the valley of Sodom and Gomorrah where Lot would later have a similar encounter (Gen. 18:1–22; 19:1) or Manoah’s visitation (Jg 13:16) or Gideon’s (Jg 6:11–18) and or even possibly Tobit’s (To 12:1-20). There was also a well established group of legends with the Greeks and Romans surrounding the divine visitation upon hospitable people (Hom. Odyss. xvii. 485 f.; Plat. Soph. 216 B; Sil. Ital. vii. 173 f.; Ovid, Met. viii. 626 f.; this one alluded to in Acts 14:11).
This makes me wonder to what degree and frequency this actually occurs. Does it occur still today? In what manner, capacity, and for what ultimate purpose? What roles do the angels truly play in God’s dealings with humanity? Who are these creatures? Why are they involved?
Qualification of Elders and Widows
We do find that there is an expressed and explicit prerequisite for elders in the church assembly to be hospitable before they are allowed to serve (1 Tim 3:2; Titus 1:8; 1 Tim 5:10), though such a prerequisite is not required of a deacon, or, more accurately, a servant of the church (1 Ti 3:8-13).
It was a prerequisite for the elderly widows to be hospitable before gaining entrance into the supported class (1 Ti 5:9-10), something that the church has disbanded in the modern times for whatever reason. Maybe due to the advent of the entitlement state, the social safety net of capitalism, or individualization of the church itself in American culture. Maybe all have played a part.
I find it particularly interesting that this qualification is required to be present in the lives of these individuals beforehand. It lends to the overall character of the individuals and they should not be put in a position of leadership or placed on the church financial rosters for support unless their activities and behaviors can support the giving and serving of the church which was viewed through the litmus of hospitality.
I think this, too, has been lost on the modern evangelical church.
It is Not a Spiritual Gift
It is quite interesting that no where is there a reference to hospitality being a spiritual gift (Ro 12:6-21; I Co 12:4-11; Eph 4:11-16). Rather it is a mechanism by which spiritual gifts are exercised (mercy, serving, giving, evangelism). I would argue that the shift of hospitality to be included into the list of spiritual gifts is a way in which most people uncomfortable with the prospect of it can state, “Well, hospitality is a spiritual gift, and I am certainly not given such and so I can now obfuscate the obligation.”
The biblical response, of course, is there is no obfuscation of this general obligation. It is rooted in the very love of God, our love for him, and it is the greatest commandment Jesus claim was the nail on which all the other commandments hung: “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt 22:39).
This is the command of Christ (Eph 4:2; Ro 15:1; Ga 6:2).
Rooted in Forgiveness
Jesus saw the rejection of hospitality to another as rejection of himself (Matt 25:43). He extends it even further than we would like, to “love our enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.” (Luke 6:27-38).
Personally, I have a difficult time with this in my own life. I have a tendency to cut people out of my life that have hurt me. Over the years I’ve grown to simply avoid interactions with people to begin with so that they can’t even have a possibility of hurting me.
Fast forward to today: I’m knee deep in people. I have a wife and children. I contend with their extended families constantly. I am teaching in the local church, a place I swore I would never return to – because of the people. I’m out in the community taking music classes with our son, we are talking about putting on a haunted house for the community this Halloween, and we are gearing up for a cross country trip that will take us two months where we will be doing regular stops in big cities to visit museums, aquariums, and science centers. We are also regularly inviting people from the church out to lunch with us each week.
Personally, I do not have a hospitable bone in my body, yet, he has found a way to somehow exercise the obligation of hospitality through me.
The Only Exception
There is a very peculiar exception to all of this that I find quite fascinating. In 2 John 10-11 and 1 Co 5:11-13, we are told that we are to extend hospitality to everyone except for two groups of people.
The first group is false teachers. The second group would be “false” Christians. It is difficult to determine the second, since we are not to judge another man’s servant (Ro 14:4). But the first one is easily determined by being intimately familiar with the Word of God. This has been one of the greatest blessings I’ve received from God over the last 30 years because of the thirst he’s given me to consume the Bible. Because of it, I can spot pretty quickly that which is not in the Bible. It often is just a feeling, a twinge in my gut that tells me when someone says something that just feels wrong. More times than I can count, that conviction has been exactly right. It has kept me from slipping into unbiblical heresy several times, and it has also kept the wolves at bay.
Conclusion
In the end, hospitality is not a gift of God, it is an obligation that every Christian must apply and extend to others in their own lives, or, if nothing else, continually pray that God would give them opportunity to be more hospitable.
I know it is not an easy thing to do, especially in this individualistic, self-seeking, self-gratifying culture in which we live today. To add insult to injury, most offers of hospitality are typically rebuffed, misunderstood, or taken advantage of.
It is only by the grace of God that the church he is building grows at all, or that it will continue to grow in maturity in the future. But, as Jesus told us, “By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35).
Until my next assignment….
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Excerpt from Our Daughter:
“Okay, mom,” Randy said.
“You behave yourself and be nice. You’re lucky to have company while you wait for the doctors.”
The woman turned and started back the way she came.
“The nurse said it would be twenty or thirty more minutes, so we’ll eat quick and be back up here before they take you in, okay?”
“Okay, mom.”
“Sorry for him,” the woman said to Katie as she walked by.
“He’s funny.”
Katie grinned.
As the woman left, Katie noticed the boy moving around again on the bed. Before she realized what was happening, the tiny lump disappeared and she could hear the faint sound of bare hands and feet on the tile floor.
He was low crawling under the beds toward her.
A moment later, Randy popped his head out from under the nearest hospital bed, craning his neck around to look up at her.
“Hello, there,” Katie said.
Randy disappeared back under the bed, the bed sheet draping down almost to the floor. Katie could still see three little fingers pressed to the tile.
“What are you here for?” Katie asked, readjusting her seat in the chair, trying to get the ache in her chest to lessen.
For whatever reason, the wheelchair was really uncomfortable.
“Why are – “
Randy’s voice trailed off for a moment as he looked around.
“Why are you here?”
“I’m getting my leg fixed,” Katie said. “See?”
Randy poked his head back out from under the bed and looked at the leg she was pointing to.
“What’s wrong with it?”
“The doctor said it’s broken,” Katie said. “Shattered.”
“Ouch.”
“Yeah. Ouch.”
“Can you feel it?” Randy asked, able to stay out from his hiding place.
“I can feel it, but it’s not too bad,” Katie said, then tapped the IV in her arm. “This thing is giving me medicine of some kind for the pain. At least that’s what the nurses said.”
“Why are you – “
Randy stopped mid-sentence.
He scooted out from under the bed entirely and slowly crept over to er on all fours.
“What are you, some kind of spider?” Katie asked, giggling a little.
“What are you?” Randy echoed.
He was now only about a foot away from her chair and sat there, his legs folded up under him, gawking up at her.
“What are you staring at me for?”
“I’ve never – “
Randy put out a hesitant hand and ever so gently touched her arm.
“Are you some kind of ghost?”
He looked around again.
“Are you – ”
He leaned in, talking in a whisper.
“Are you dead?”
A nurse came around the corner and stopped abruptly, spotting the empty bed in the far corner where Randy should have been.
“Randy Andrews,” the nurse said, her hands now on her hips. “You get right back into the bed and you stop playing around, please. They are ready for you in surgery.”
Katie watched as Randy scrambled on all fours under the beds and back up onto his, pulling the sheet back over top of himself again.
She started to ask him about his question, but couldn’t get the words out before his parents appeared at the door.
Katie sat there quietly, watching Randy stare back at her from under his sheet. She glanced over at his parents and the nurse, noticed Randy’s dad had no hair on the top of his head.
Are you dead?
What kind of question was that?
The snap of the wheel locks being disengaged on Randy’s hospital bed jarred Katie out of the confusion she was in.
The doctor she’d first seen was now at the door, waiting for Randy.
He was his surgeon.
They wheeled Randy out of the room, his parents following right behind, disappearing to the left, heading for his operating room.
The pre-op room was empty again.
Dead.
Are you dead?
What kind of crazy question was that?
The nurse came back through the double doors.
“It won’t be long now,” she said.
“Okay.”
Katie tried not to think about the dull ache growing just behind her sternum.
The nurse disappeared around the corner as Katie watched the double doors to the operating rooms slowly shut.
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