From a scriptural perspective, being hospitable means greater than entertaining guests in our homes. It’s a selfless and welcoming act, reflecting the character and heart of God in practical ways.
The world often defines hospitality as a matter of fun, luxury, or convenience. The secular idea ties being hospitable to dinners, impressing guests, or making a warm and alluring environment. Of course, there’s nothing fallacious with making guests feel welcome, the world’s version tends to concentrate on the host or social advantages fairly than any sacrificial service.
The world has a complete industry dedicated to hospitality—hotels, restaurants, and entertainment. These concentrate on comfort and more transactional service. In most cultures, being hospitable extends to family and friends, investing in existing relationships fairly than opening doors to strangers or others in need. In some ways, the world’s hospitality becomes self-serving, asking, “How can this profit me?” fairly than “How does this serve others?”
In contrast, Jesus taught how true hospitality doesn’t search for a return payment (Luke 14:12-14). The Bible calls believers to hospitality as a mirrored image of God’s love. In essence, God’s redemption invites us into his house, his family. As Paul tells the church in Ephesians 2:19, “So you then aren’t any longer strangers and aliens, but you’re fellow residents with the saints and members of the household of God.” God doesn’t just invite his friends, or those that deserve it, but aliens and strangers, even enemies, into his everlasting household through Jesus. As an extra example, he happily adopts people into his family (Ephesians 1:5). God doesn’t simply save us from hell, which he does, but his goal is to save lots of us to incorporate us in his family. The Bible shows this through its teaching on hospitality.
In the Old Testament, Leviticus 19:34 commands radical hospitality. “The stranger who dwells amongst you shall be to you as one born amongst you, and also you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers within the land of Egypt: I’m the Lord your God.” God’s people were foreigners in one other land and treated as slaves. To reflect the character of God, it could be different in Israel. The Lord commanded them to incorporate foreigners and strangers as family.
Jesus modeled this self-sacrificial hospitality throughout his ministry. He dined with tax collectors, healed the sick, and engaged with outcasts just like the woman on the well. His example showed how hospitality isn’t about convenience but seeing and serving others like God does. Biblical hospitality actively pursues ways to like others outside the norm, people not our family and friends and even our own social community.
Believers should reclaim the biblical hospitality. It’s a practical and powerful strategy to point people to Christ and his Kingdom.
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