Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love.
Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Romans 12:9-13
Those of us who gather on Tuesdays to write the devotionals have the added bonus of getting to do it with Pastor Aaron. As he is currently working hard at seminary, he brings us a flavor we otherwise would not have, an awareness of the language of the Bible in its original form. This last meeting, he told us about the Greek word translated for us as hospitality, and that it contained an emphasis on being hospitable beyond our normal boundaries of comfort, friends and family — to those who might be on the outside looking in.
Philoxenia is an ancient Greek word that means “hospitality” or “love of strangers”. Considering that caused me to pause to think about another passage, a tough passage.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others?….” Matthew 5:43-47
God pointed me toward the following stories, all examples of Jesus taking hospitality the extra mile: John 4:1-26, Luke 19:1-10 and Mark 5:25-34.
The first is the story of the woman at the well. She had three strikes against her. She was a Samaritan, a people the Israelites despised. She was a woman in a culture where you didn’t address women you didn’t know. And she was a fallen woman.
Now he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.
When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)
The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)
Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” …..
The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.” John 4:4-10, 15
But Jesus had time for her and her life changed forever.
The second was Zacchaeus, a dreaded tax collector, despised by everyone. Yuck!! But not by Jesus. We will likely meet him someday in heaven. No longer despised.
And the third was the woman who had been bleeding for twelve years. People stayed as far away from her as possible, following the tenets of the Law. But in a crowd pressing Jesus on all sides, He nonetheless attended to her — didn’t shy away — and healed her of her infirmity.
We will likely meet up again with all three in heaven.
That is major Hospitality, the kind that might take us beyond our comfort zone. What thinks Ye?? Is it time to stretch?
by Bruce Hanson
