Definition of Biblical Hospitality in Today’s Culture

“Hospitality is a sacred calling because it mirrors the welcoming heart of God – a God who notices, invites, and makes room for us all. It is not reserved for the gifted few, the extroverted hosts, or the ‘people person.'” – Anna Jacob

What are your Current Thoughts and Heart Posture Towards Hospitality?

Do you read that quote from Anna Jacob and think, “Yes, that is true hospitality!” or maybe you think, “I have no idea where to start. I’m not in the habit of showing Christian hospitality.” We are all in different stages of life and have varying experiences of hospitality. Some of us may have been blessed by a friend or stranger showing us generous hospitality. At the same time, some of us have experienced loneliness and longed for an act of hospitality. 

Wherever you are coming from, know that we all can grow in our biblical understanding of hospitality. This is not a topic for comparing ourselves to how others in the family of God practice hospitality, but rather a topic to ask our Heavenly Father how we can be more welcoming of people and point them back to their greatest need in Christ. 

Common Misunderstandings about Hospitality

As we have all seen hospitality practiced in different ways, we may come to the table with misunderstandings about what true biblical hospitality can look like in a practical way. Here are some common assumptions or misunderstandings:

• You have to have people over to your home – Maybe you live in an apartment with roommates, or you don’t have the space to host. Simply invite others to a park and pick up some snacks. Or better yet, when inviting an individual or family to an evening at a park, say something like, “Let’s say each family brings their own dinner!” This is an example of hospitality that is flexible.
• Your home has to be tidy to make someone feel welcomed and relaxed – Instead, it could be refreshing and relaxing for someone to see that your real life is not picture perfect and even messy. Have you ever walked into someone else’s home and seen dishes in their sink and felt understood? You can provide that when welcoming people to your place, just as it is.
• You need to make a from-scratch meal – We’re not called to throw dinner parties to impress people! We’ll look at the biblical definition of hospitality below, but know that ordering pizza and breadsticks is a great and easy meal to share with others. And remember, the meal is not the main focus, but the conversation.
• You have to be married with kids to share the gift of hospitality – Whether you are single, married without kids, or an empty nester, anyone can and should practice hospitality

Importance of Hospitality

Why should hospitality be something we prioritize? Can’t I just show “good works” to people in random ways throughout my week? Well, when you think of the word hospitality vs. good works, hospitality comes with some level of planning and intention. You are planning to show love and care towards people. In God’s plan of redemption and bringing his people to himself, he uses us. A large way we can be used by God to reach others (whether believers or not) is through hospitality. Here are some key ways we see the importance of hospitality for God’s greater plan:

1. Evangelism – Jesus commanded us in the “Great Commission,” before his ascension back to Heaven, to “Go therefore and make disciples” (Matthew 28). The first step to making disciples is often showing Christ’s love to unsaved neighbors. Whether you just moved into your neighborhood, have lived in your home/apartment for a decade, or live in a rural area, we can start engaging our neighbors and community today to share God’s love and forgiveness. We need to care for the souls of our neighbors!
2. Care for the needs of human beings  – We live in a post-pandemic era where many people are out of the practice of hospitality. A study was conducted by Harvard Graduate School of Education describing this time in our history as a Chronic Loneliness Epidemic. More people than we realize are feeling disconnected from others, and we have the opportunity to love on them and make them feel heard and cared for. The Harvard study showed some of the leading causes of loneliness were technology, insufficient time with family, being too busy, and no spiritual life. Think how impactful an act of hospitality would be for someone experiencing loneliness?!
3. Obedience to Christ – Throughout the scriptures, we can read of hospitality. New Testament hospitality talks of how we should “seek to show hospitality” and to “not neglect to show hospitality to strangers.” We will look at specific passages from the Bible below, but remember, James 1:22 reminds us to “be doers of the word, and not hearers only.” So we have a commandment to practice God’s Word, which includes the act of hospitality.

Biblical Hospitality Defined

The Bible presents hospitality not merely as entertaining guests, but as welcoming, loving, and caring for strangers and fellow believers out of reverence for God. The Greek word for hospitality in the New Testament is philoxenia –  literally “love of strangers.” There is heart and purpose behind biblical hospitality. Below, we’ll look at examples of hospitality in scripture, but for now, let’s remember that Jesus Christ showed a kind of hospitality that was sacrificial, inclusive, and others-focused. We are not “hosting” for our own recognition, but for service to the Lord. Colossians 3 says, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”

We have the opportunity to reflect God’s character to God’s people through hospitality. Jesus Christ lived a life of eating meals with sinners, adopting us into his family, and providing for our needs (both physically and spiritually). Here’s the good news: we have this modeled beautifully in scripture, and all we have to do is faithfully reflect God’s love to others. That is how we practice hospitality!

Examples of Hospitality in the Bible

Old Testament

1. Genesis 18:1-8 – Abraham and Sarah fed three strangers a meal and cared for them by providing rest.
2. Leviticus 19:33-34 – God commands Israel to treat the foreigner as a native and to love the foreigner as themselves. God even reminds Israel that they were also once strangers.
3. 2 Kings 4:8 10 – A Shunammite Woman and her husband provided a meal and a room for Elisha every time he passed through.
4. Job 31:32 – Job declares, “No stranger had to spend the night in the street, for my door was always open to the traveler.”

New Testament – Early Church

1. Matthew 25:31-46 – Jesus is talking of the final judgement to come where he will be seated on the throne and will separate the sheep from the goats (those that loved and believed in God and those that didn’t). He talks of how he was a stranger and the people that invited him in, fed him, and clothed him will be blessed and inherit the kingdom of Heaven. People may question, how can I do this to Jesus? He said in verse 40, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.”
2. Luke 10:38-42 – Mary and Martha welcome Jesus into their home. Martha serves while Mary listens. I think this is a wonderful example that while we are instructed to show biblical hospitality, we can’t forget our basic need for Jesus. Whether that be spending one-on-one time with God before the hustle and bustle of preparing for guests, or the importance of loving the person right in front of you, who is made in the image of God.
3. Romans 12:3-21 (specifically vs 13) – “Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.” This chapter in Romans, the apostle Paul is talking about the marks of a true Christian. Paul gives many examples, both good and bad, of ways we can love others and abhor evil. One example he gives the early Christians was to show hospitality.
4. Hebrews 13:2 – “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” This mention of New Testament hospitality reminds us that hospitality does not stop at our friends and family. We are to show God’s hospitably to strangers too.
5. 1 Peter 4:8-9 – “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.” Here is yet another charge give to us in scripture to practice biblical hospitality.
6. 3 John 5-8 – Gaius is praised for showing hospitality to traveling missionaries.

Stories of Hospitality Today

1. Rosaria Butterfield – The testimony and story of Rosaria Butterfield will grab your attention. If you’ve ever read her books, you know that The Gospel Comes with a House Key shares the story of how the hospitality of others opened her heart to knowing Christ. She went from living with a lesbian partner to living for God. She was a professor at the time and actively researching topics of the people who hated her LGBTQ+ community. The Holy Spirit worked in her heart through the generous hospitality of a pastor and his wife. They shared hundreds of meals together and read the Bible together before Rosaria repented of her sin and turned to Christ. You can read more of her story here.
2. Singles – You may have people in your life that you think of when you hear the word hospitality. Personally, I think of a friend who is single and without kids who models hospitality faithfully. This friend has lived in different states and has experienced being the “new person” in a neighborhood or apartment complex. She never shies away from introducing herself to new neighbors. In an effort to build friendships with her new neighbors, she once decided to have women over weekly to watch a tv show. Let the admiration of friends practicing hospitality well spur you to be creative too!
3. Empty Nesters – As stated earlier, we are all in different stages of life. There have been couples at church in the empty nesting stage of life who have modeled a kind of hospitality that is sacrificial. They help care for kids of young families, welcome house guests for weekends when there is a guest speaker at church, and even just open up their home to host a small group when needed. Praise the Lord for couples like this!

Practical Ways to Put Hospitality into Practice

Let’s look at a few practical examples of how you can start practicing hospitality, even this week! 

1. Game Night and Dessert – hosting a game night later in the evening is a great option if you don’t want to plan a meal. This is also a great option if you have young kids at home. Plan for your guests to arrive after your little ones are asleep.
2. Carry Out Pizza  – we all have seasons of life that seem busier than others. Instead of that making you “hit pause” on showing hospitality, let it be a reason to grab a cheap pizza.
3. Meal Prep Night – this is a fun activity with friends to show love to an expecting mama. Plan to get together with ladies from your church or small group to stock the freezer of the pregnant mama! Sure, a meal train may be set up after the birth of the baby, but this night would encourage the mama that her community loves her. Plus, she’ll have extra freezer meals for when the meal train ends. Here is an example text you could send out: “Hey friends! Would you ladies be free to come over on ____ or ____ in the evening to make freezer meals for the ____ family? Bring ingredients for however many meals you want to contribute – we’ll prep together and hang out! Let me know which date works best!”
4. Meeting Someone New at Church – after meeting and talking with someone new at church, you could say something like: “I’ve loved getting to meet you. Can I get your number? I’d like to have you over for dinner this week.” Right after meeting someone is a great opportunity to show you’d like to continue getting to know someone. Especially in the context of someone visiting your church. They probably want to meet people and learn more about the church through you. What an expression of love to that person to open your home to welcome new people over.

Taking Action 

We’ve been able to learn and be reminded of where God’s heart is in showing Biblical hospitality. God shares in his Word time and time again the charge to show hospitality to both strangers and the family of God. What one thing from the list below do you feel the Holy Spirit laying on your heart to begin implementing? 

• Do you feel God calling you to have more of an open home despite what our western culture is used to?
• Are you aware of your potential pride in wanting your life or home to appear put together? Maybe you feel God nudging you to be okay with your house appearing messy, so that your focus can be on the practical needs of others.
• Do you want to commit to showing hospitality 2 times this next month? Try setting a goal so that you can put faithful action where your heart is!
• Do you want to start making a list of others needs you notice? Or you could contact your local church and ask if there are any needs you could help fulfill. 

Whatever action step you decide to take, remember we are reflecting the love and care Jesus modeled for us. We have the opportunity and commandment to provide for the needs of others, with their ultimate need being Christ.