When you hear the word hospitality, what images come to mind?
Southern hospitality is the first thing I think of, maybe because I’ve lived in Florida for the past 20+ years. If you’re unfamiliar with this concept, for those in the south (especially those born and raised here), southern hospitality isn’t a choice, it’s an institution. There are rules to abide by and customs that must be upheld at all times. Most would define southern hospitality as being neighborly and welcoming to friends and family, and even strangers. A survey[1] found six definitive qualities that mark true southern hospitality – politeness, good home cooking, kindness, helpfulness, charm, and charity.
Perhaps you thought of the hospitality industry. I used to work in the food and beverage industry as a waitress and bartender, so I’m familiar with this concept also. It was my job to take care of my customers well, getting them everything they requested, whether they were kind or not, and doing so with a smile on my face. The customer is always right, after all.
These are both worldly pictures of hospitality though. And while some of the ideas are well intentioned, most people in the world today hold lavish parties and host others as a way to show off all they have. Or we serve as a way to get something in return rather than out of a heart attitude that believes it’s better to give than to receive. It’s the equivalent of a peacock fanning out and shaking his tail feathers to get attention.
Dictionary.com defines hospitality as “the quality or disposition of receiving and treating guests and strangers in a warm, friendly, generous way.” That may be the world’s definition of hospitality, but how does the Bible define hospitality?
In the New Testament, the Greek word translated “hospitality” literally means “love of strangers.” Hospitality is a virtue that is both commanded and commended throughout Scripture.[2] In the Old Testament, it was specifically commanded by God:
“When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt.”
Leviticus 19:33-34, emphasis added
It’s also discussed multiple times throughout the New Testament:
“Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.”
1 Peter 4:8-9 ESV {emphasis added}“No matter what, make room in your heart to love every believer. And show hospitality to strangers, for they may be angels from God showing up as your guests.”
Hebrews 13:1-2 TPT {emphasis added}They should have a beautiful testimony of raising their families, practicing hospitality, encouraging other believers, comforting troubled ones, and have a reputation for doing good works.”
1 Timothy 5:10 TPT {emphasis added}“Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined.”
Titus 1:8 NIV {emphasis added}
It certainly goes beyond opening your home. It requires that you open your heart. It’s being hospitable (remember that means, the quality or disposition of receiving and treating guests and strangers in a warm, friendly, generous way.) with your attitude, in your relationships, and, dare I say, in the car. I might be preaching to myself with that last one! It’s being open to interruptions or divine appointments. It’s deferring your desires for the sake of another.
As I sit in my home near Tampa, Florida writing this column, hurricane Ian has just made landfall in Cayo Costa, less than 100 miles from here. With a storm as big as the state, we are definitely feeling the effects, and yet, as I sit here with the wind and rain blowing, I hear that sweet, still, small voice. He’s reminding me it’s in the storms of life, literal and figurative, that this Jesus way of hospitality is best on display. Many people I know are hosting friends, family, and co-workers who had to evacuate their homes. In a time when it’s in our nature to be selfish and cling to what is ours, I see people being generous, sacrificial even.
Hospitality is a gift. Some people have it, others don’t. My husband, Kevin, really struggles in this area. He’s an introvert by nature. Not that he doesn’t love people, he does very much, but large groups exhaust him. Get him one-on-one and he’ll spend all day with you! So, when God called us to host a small group in our home, it took a lot of prayer before he agreed. Five years later, I wish I could tell you it has gotten easier for him, but it hasn’t. He still struggles with it. And, in his defense, we have 14 adults and 23 kids in our home every single week. It’s a lot, even for his extroverted wife.
And yet, he is faithful to this calling of hospitality because he understands that Jesus doesn’t call only those gifted in this area – he calls us all. So, he moves out of his comfort zone for the sake of others. He puts aside his own needs for the needs of the group. He practices loving others well. And as a result, he is blessed by our heavenly Father for it. As disciple makers, we are called to teach others the ways of Jesus – not just some of his ways, all of them.
Christ taught us the second greatest commandment is to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39), and the Parable of the Good Samaritan teaches us that “neighbor” has nothing to do with geography, citizenship, or race. Wherever and whenever people need us, there we can be neighbors and, like Christ, show mercy. This is the essence of hospitality.[3]
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus discusses the hospitable behavior of those who will inherit the kingdom:
“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, 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” (Matthew 25:34-36)
In our world today, we don’t have as many opportunities to entertain strangers, but hospitality is still an essential part of being a Christ follower. So, how can we love others well, as we love ourselves? By being hospitable (warm, friendly, generous) to every single person that crosses our path, whether it’s the stranger in the grocery store we offer a smile to or the family living under our roof that we sacrifice daily for. By serving others we serve Christ and we promote the spread of God’s truth. Let us be the first ones to meet a need when we see it. Let us go out of our way for the sake of others. Let us live and love as Jesus loved, by making people feel comfortable, welcome, seen, known, loved.
This post originally appeared at: Hospitality — The Bonhoeffer Project
[1] Southern Hospitality: Where Can We Find That Down-Home Charm?, Twiddy
[2 & 3] What does the Bible say about hospitality? GotQuestions.org