This past Saturday I had the blessing of speaking to the lovely women of First Presbyterian Church in Ocean City, New Jersey on the topic of hospitality according to God's Word, the Bible. We are already in the midst of holiday entertaining with Thanksgiving behind us and Christmas, Hanukkah, and the New Year just around the corner. This festive season includes inviting friends and family members into our homes to drink, to dine, and even to become our houseguest for a few days.
The Biblical model of hospitality is more than elegant menus and elaborate table settings, it is the unselfish desire to meet the needs of others with no thought of personal gain. It is sharing who we are and what we have, being a good steward with the resources the Lord has generously given to us. This could be our time, money, food, energy, creativity, and the love and mercy of Christ that has been extended to us. It is fulfilling the Biblical mandate found in Hebrews 10:25,
"And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together......" In the Old Testament, hospitality was not just good manners but a necessity in the harsh desert regions where there were no planes, trains, and automobiles, Ritz Carltons, or even a Motel Six.
There were very few inns and it was not uncommon to feed and lodge strangers traveling through the region. God gave instructions to the Israelites through Moses in Deuteronomy 10:18, 19. Moses teaches that the Lord
"...loves the stranger, giving him food and clothing" and then goes on to say,
"Therefore, love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt." In 1 Samuuel 25 we find God's punishment when Nabal, a very wealthy man, was struck dead when he did not extend hospitaliy to the soon to be King David and his 400 soldiers traveling through Paran. Rahab extended hospitality and protection to Joshua's spys in Joshua 8. God honored her faith and courage by saving her family when Jericho was destroyed.
In the New Testament, in Luke 14:12-14, Jesus instructs,
"When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just." Jesus is not saying we should not invite those who are intimately acquainted with us but when we invite only the desirable, does our giving only come from self-centered ambitions to impress or is it to extend the love of Christ to those who are spiritually blind or poor? Are we fearful of inviting certain people to our home because of their appearance, social class, manners, or what others might say about us? Jesus chose to dine with the tax collectors and sinners and paid no mind to the complaining criticism of the Pharisees and scribes.
We can go to the story of Martha and Mary in Luke 10:38-42 where
"Martha was distracted with much serving..." Obviously, the Bible tells us that Martha had the gift of hospitality and loved being the hostess with the mostess but even the good that we intend becomes tainted by our sin nature and our hearts become selfishly motivated. Jesus did not condemn Martha for her heart to serve but asked her to reconsider her priorities and encouraged her to make choices based on eternal values and not immediate pressures.
As we invite guests into our home this season we should consider:
Are you providing a safe place or a show place?
Do you seek to serve others or just impress?
Do you put people before things or elevate things above people?
Do you take no thought of personal gain or reward or expect praise and reciprocation?
Does your hospitality offer freedom that liberates, enabling the exercise of God's gifts and creativity to their fullest or does it become a taskmaster that enslaves, requiring you to meet the expectations of others?
Washing guests' feet was a common exercise of hospitality because sandles were the fashion necessity of that period and the feet became soiled on the unpaved dusty roads. When Jesus attempted to wash the disciple's feet at the last supper, Peter refused. Jesus responded,
"If I do not wash you, you have no part in Me." Washing the feet was a servant's job. Jesus actions here served as an example of how we must serve others. How do we "wash the feet" of those that visit our homes?
This Christmas season is touted as season of joy, but for some it is a season of lonliness, sadness, hopelessness. The Christmas season is really about hope, eternal hope. Jesus offers the ultimate extension of hospitality in Revelation 3:20,
"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me." In the ancient Jewish world, sharing a meal with someone was a symbol of trust, affection, and intimacy. Jesus invites us to share a personal, intimate relationship with Him. He invites us to trust His lordship over our lives. He has prepared the ultimate banquet with the first course His love, the second, forgiveness, and the third, His grace and mercy. Then there is the final course, the sweetness of dessert, the promise and hope of eternal life.
This Christmas season is about the Father's love, sending the Son to be born in a humble setting, later taking upon Himself the sin of the world, my sin, your sin, by suffering and dying on the cross that we would be reconciled to the Father and have the future hope of eternal life. In Romans 6:23, Paul writes,
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Salvation is a gift, a free gift, but it is up to us to accept, unwrap, and make it our own.
I urge you this Christmas season, if you have never experienced the peace of Christ, the peace of heart and soul, open up the door of your heart and invite Jesus to be the Lord of your life.
