True Virtue: Hospitality

When one thinks of hospitality, one imagines entertaining guests at a special dinner, or a concierge at a fancy hotel. It is a value that has been fairly lost in America among the middle and lower classes at least. The idea of going out of one’s way to treat guests as special, make an exceptional dinner for them and heaven forbid do some extra cleaning before they come, is fairly foreign and among some even looked down upon, claiming that friends should accept one as is. Any who have traveled abroad have seen a striking contrast to this mentality. We seem to not value our guests as much as we ought any more. But I have discovered that the idea of hospitality we have now, though it is already lacking, falls far short of what the Bible commands.

Why be hospitable?

1 Peter 4:9 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Be hospitable to one another without complaint.

This is not posed as a suggestion but as a command. It is not an option. It is included in a paragraph detailing the importance of fervent love for the church and how to do it. The following verse further instructs us to use the gifts we have been given for the benefit of others as good stewards of what God has given us. These do not just include our spiritual gifts, but our earthly ones as well. It is listed as a characteristic of our belief in Christ, as well as a requirement for overseers to take office (1 Tim 3:2) and for widows to receive welfare (1 Tim 5:10).

And it is something we are to do without complaining. If we complain we are not serving out of love but out of duty, which leaves a bitter taste to God and others because it is not genuine. It is a sign of arrogance and selfishness because we are thinking more of ourselves than others.  We are to love others as ourselves and serve them first, which demands genuine hospitality.

What is true hospitality?

 

Matthew 25:35-36 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

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;  naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.

In these verses Jesus defines real hospitality. It is not confined to putting on a fancy meal for friends who have been invited over. It encompasses taking care of others, specifically those who don’t expect or deserve it. In the old testament, it was commanded to be hospitable to strangers by treating them fairly and kindly, as family, by taking in travelers, providing food, clothing and shelter, even and especially if they are in need. Hospitality was synonymous with entertaining strangers, not just friends.

People expect one to treat friends and family well. That is easy, just as it is easy to love those with whom we get along. But true hospitality, and true love, is shown by doing this to those who are not invited, known or generally welcome.

Two great examples of true biblical hospitality are the Good Samaritan and Elijah and the widow. The Samaritan was not only a stranger, but an outcast, unwelcome and despised by the Jews. And yet he was the only passer-by to help the man who had been beaten and robbed, a man he did not know. But he cared for him, provided for him, and took him out of danger. In the story of Elijah and the widow, there was a terrible drought and Elijah asked a widow to feed him. She was in the process of preparing the last meal for herself and her son before they starved, but she served Elijah instead, housing and providing for him for some time, and her jars were never empty until the famine ended. These two had no reason to help, and yet they went out of their way to be hospitable.

That kind of hospitality was a social norm in those days, partly out of necessity, but it is still expected of us now. God clearly tells us to be hospitable to others and that definition has not changed (biblically). In order for us to be truly hospitable, we need to not only show love and respect for those we know and invite, but we must also be kind to, help provide for, and protect the needy. This shouldn’t be a side note where we toss a little loose change into someone’s basket. It should be intentional and genuine. It should be a sacrifice, for…

John 15:13 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.

True love is sacrifice. And true hospitality should be an act of love. We need to value others as more important than ourselves. We need to serve them first and have no qualm about giving up something for their sake, and welcome them into our church body making them feel valued. For when we do this, we serve Christ.

How can you show hospitality to someone today?