Hospitality

Text: Hebrews 13:1-14 (NLT)

13 Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters.[a] 2 Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it! 3 Remember those in prison, as if you were there yourself. Remember also those being mistreated, as if you felt their pain in your own bodies.‌

4 Give honor to marriage, and remain faithful to one another in marriage. God will surely judge people who are immoral and those who commit adultery. 5 Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said,“I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.”[b] 6 So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?”[c]

7 Remember your leaders who taught you the word of God. Think of all the good that has come from their lives, and follow the example of their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 9 So do not be attracted by strange, new ideas. Your strength comes from God’s grace, not from rules about food, which don’t help those who follow them. 10 We have an altar from which the priests in the Tabernacle[d] have no right to eat.

11 Under the old system, the high priest brought the blood of animals into the Holy Place as a sacrifice for sin, and the bodies of the animals were burned outside the camp. 12 So also Jesus suffered and died outside the city gates to make his people holy by means of his own blood. 13 So let us go out to him, outside the camp, and bear the disgrace he bore. 14 For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come.

Introduction

Today we will be examining the concept of Hospitality found in our text.

Our text is set from the book of Hebrews where the writer appears to have two aims:

1. Remind us of the superiority of Christ to all other things

2. Challenge us to stay faithful to Jesus even in the midst of persecution.

Hebrews 13:1-14 is part of the writer’s concluding remarks on how a believer should live as a result of a better covenant with better promises, and a superior God .

As always to see what the Holy Spirit is saying through this passage we need to adjust our thinking somewhat to get the context (Rom 12:1-2)

As always to see what the Holy Spirit is saying through this passage we need to adjust our thinking somewhat to get the context (Rom 12:1-2).

Heres my aim today. That after you:

a) Understand the ancient concept of Hospitality

b) Understand the Christian concept of Hospitality

c) Understand the driving force behind Christian Hospitality

Then you would begin to live with a higher value and action of hospitality

So you ready? Lets get into this topic:

1. The ancient concept of hospitality

The concept of hospitality was not distinctly Christian. When you do a little research, you discover that hospitality was a central part of society from the very beginning of history (see Word studies in NT). This was in part due to the need for places for people to stay while traveling due to business, personal or political reasons.

Hotels or Inns as we know them were virtually nonexistent. Any such place would have been used for drunkenness, prostitution, or the like, and were extremely unsafe places.

By New Testament times the ancient world, secular and religious, saw hospitality as a moral value. To put that in the context of ancient writings we discover this topic had the same fervor of discussion that you would find today around the values of vaccination, climate change, LGBTQ, abortion, and marriage. Your social status and personal identity was attached to being able to provide hospitality.

Added to that was the domination of their lives by keeping the many gods they saw in control of their world happy so their own lives would have peace, wealth, and happiness.

In the concept of hospitality many non jewish/Christians saw Zeus as the God of Hospitality and sought his protection by pleasing him.

Why is Zeus the god of hospitality?

This cultural law has its origins in Ancient Greece. The Ancient Greek god Zeus is sometimes called Zeus Xenios, as he was also a protector of travelers. He thus embodied the religious obligation to be hospitable to travelers.

The rise of the Roman world added to this fervor by the establishment of an empire built on peace & prosperity (Pax Romana) that saw people travel increase for commerce, public proclamations, and religious pilgrimage. The result was an even increasing demand for hospitality.

Therefore, the need for people to provide a place to stay became more of a reality in this world.

Remember it was seen as a virtue where it was esteemed, highly valued, and encouraged. Your status was connected to it.

In that world there were clear rules or societal norms surrounding it:

Adaptation from S. C. Barton’s three stages of hospitality employed in the ancient world.

a) Screening

A host must first evaluate the stranger to determine if incorporation of this guest is possible without undue threat to the security and purity lines of the group for whom the host is responsible.

A traveler would come to a gate or a well (public place) and wait for someone to invite them. many would have references etc.

b) Invitation and provision

If so, the host will incorporate the stranger as a guest, and in accordance with culture-specific codes of hospitality, the host will extend obligations understood by both parties.

Wash their feet, provide a feast and give them refreshing rest.

c) Departure

Finally, the departure of the stranger now turned guest not only signals a healthy parting of ways between an honorable host and the refreshed traveler, but also serves to solidify future relations between the two parties and their respective communities.

It was for NO MORE than 2 nights.

(This gives a framework for hospitality. It is not mindless or without boundaries)

Given this background we then begin to understand the context of our text.

Hebrews 13:1-3

“Let love of the brethren continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it. Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body.”

However, in this text we see that to Christians Hospitality went much deeper and had a much broader meaning.

This leads us to:

2. The principle of Christian hospitality

‌When we think of hospitality as Christians it is not less than the ancient understanding but goes way beyond that.

When we read Hebrews 13:1-14 we see hospitality listed not as a moral value but something far deeper which would be understood as resulting from the new creation.

13 Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters.[a] 2 Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it! 3 Remember those in prison, as if you were there yourself. Remember also those being mistreated, as if you felt their pain in your own bodies.

4 Give honor to marriage, and remain faithful to one another in marriage. God will surely judge people who are immoral and those who commit adultery.

5 Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said,

“I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.”[b]

Keep loving each other but also don’t forget hospitality? Entertain angels?

Can you see how hospitality here listed as an actual lifestyle reality, loving each other, faithful sexually, honoring marriage, looking out for prisoners, not loving money. Goes far beyond the general meaning

Where did this come from? Its more than paying it forward at the dairy queen or starbucks line.

The key is found in the potentially confusing statement of entertaining angels. That phrase points to it being a divine action and surely refers (but not limited) to Genesis 18:1–16, of Abraham our prime example of the father of the faith.

So when you do a little digging deeper you find OT principle of hospitality exemplified by Abraham and spoken about in Deuteronomy.

‌

Deuteronomy 10:17-19

“For the Lord your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords. He is the great God, the mighty and awesome God, who shows no partiality and cannot be bribed. 18 He ensures that orphans and widows receive justice. He shows love to the foreigners living among you and gives them food and clothing. 19 So you, too, must show love to foreigners, for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt. (NLT)

‌

At this point the Bible is clearly pointing out that hospitality more than offering a place to stay for 2 nights allowing people to be refreshed and strengthened.

Here hospitality becomes not only looking after travelers but also a call for justice, care of the poor, stranger, and the needy as well as the outcasts and marginalized. And see where God’s motivation comes from.

God reminds them that they were themselves foreigners at one time but God took them in. they were weary wonderers in Egypt where they would have dies but he took them in, clothed them and looked after them.

Notice the emphasis:- We live only because of His hospitality. (Freely you have received now freely give.) His very nature and character.

The Bible here is clearly showing us that God blows that concept into something extravagant and awesome.

Just a quick review of history and you will find many of the advances we have seen in society were fundamentally driven by Christians (not not all good but overwhelmingly good):

Schmidt, Alvin J. Under the Influence: How Christianity Transformed Civilization

Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2001

Down through the centuries Christians have:

• Amplified the worth of the unborn, the newly born, and children.

• Created conditions in which justice and liberty can thrive.

• Elevated the dignity of marriage and sexuality.

• Transformed the freedoms and self-determination of women.

• Revolutionized attitudes toward the sick, the dying, the weak, the poor.

• Accented a vocational view of work and its significance.

• Provided fertile soil in which science, music, literature, art, and architecture could flourish

Which leads us to:

3. Understand the driving force of Christian hospitality

As new testament believers we understand that we have been transformed by the Holy Spirit, showing hospitality essentially comes out of who we now are in Jesus. Its more than just doing nice things. Its being who we are. Its living in sync with the new creation.

When we read Hebrews understanding we have a better promise, better covenant and a superior God and as a result we enter into a new relationship with God that empowers us to live. We then understand that flowing out of who we are is the divine nature:

Hebrews 13:1-2 sets this up perfectly. To love people starting first with each other but also the stranger is intrinsically in your new God breathed nature.

To that end Jesus fully demonstrated hospitality. When you follow his life, you see him eating and drinking with people. He feeds 5000, gathers around meals regularly, demonstrating care and concern for the outcasts, the sick, and the oppressed.‌

Even when Jesus is invited to be a guest he turns things around and becomes the one bringing freedom and refreshing to his hosts

The new testament focus of hospitality as we see in our text, to be a part of our christian formation as a spiritual discipline.

The New testament lifts hospitality as the means by which God has dealt with us. In the same theme of Deuteronomy and of the example of Abraham, Jesus calls us to spend that which we have to change the world.‌

As we read the New Testament we see hospitality for Christians as radical and flying in the face of the general world thinking empowered by the Spirit. This understanding of the need for Christians to establish a prayer life, moral values, justice focus, being mission minded and hospitable has been demonstrated over the last 2000 years.

The NT lists hospitality as one of the attitudes of elders and deacons in the Church.

For us as new creations transformed by the Spirit, we see hospitality as part of seeing the Kingdom of God bring heaven to earth. All that we have is His and therefore we live with that in mind. Coupled with that is the fact that everything I have belongs to him.

Consider our Text this morning where the writer of Hebrews, after announcing a better covenant, a better promise with a superior God, leads us to a place of action. To be living full on in this thing we know as Christianity requires me to not only live as a free man personally but to spread that freedom to others. Yes, it will cost you time, energy, money, and venerableness. You see its not mindless giving but mindful. Its part of who we are clearly deciding on strategy and action.

In other words, I must choose to live free from immorality, unforgiveness, hate, and the like but if I am to love it has to go beyond me to those around me.

It speaks of strangers, those different from me. I do not have the luxury to be selective of just the poor or rich, Australian or Asian. We are meant to be the most inclusive.

Does that mean I accept all people's lifestyles and thinking? No, but I can love on them, be kind to them and reach out to them.

So what Am I saying?

Here’s some actions you could do but they are just suggestions to get you thinking:

1. Invite people into your space

Ask people into your homes. Find your neighbor and actually have a coffee or something with them. Hang with them in the street. Get to know them especially if they different from you.

2. Invite friends, neighbors, and colleagues into your spiritual home.

Why do we do trunk or treat? Christmas is coming, whom are you inviting?

3. Eat with Christians

Do coffee, lunch or something. It doesn’t have to be thanksgiving style. Mentor someone eg Bill having coffee

4. Host a small group

5. Give to legacy, wave city care special opportunities such as Christmas tree gifts etc. Give to someone

6. Help out in wave city care, school makeovers, horse place etc

7. Volunteer in Church, hosts, new people, cleaning teams, worship, building maintenance

8. Actually greet people.

Passing the peace. Greet one another with a holy kiss. We ask for you to greet someone its more than an icebreaker moment. It’s a time for you to stop and see someone, make them feel welcome, and invite them out for lunch. Send a text to someone

Look there are boundaries with all this but it is meant to be an attitude or a way of thinking. I don’t feel guilty when someone asks me to give because I have already decided to be a giver and if I can and think its worthwhile I will but I have already decided prayerfully about giving.

Conclusion:

Now we have a clearer understanding of Hospitality

We see it is in the very nature and character of our heavenly father.

Jesus demonstrated the price God will pay to reach this world. He died to invite us in. We were once strangers to God. Isolated and alone from His presence. Jesus’s life, death and resurrection changed everything. It opened the way to change you and your destiny.

If you are already a Christian then I encourage you to a practice of hospitality. Be mindful, passionate and seek to extend yourself. Not mindlessly but mindful.

If you are not a Christian or you once were but now have slipped away, come back to God! His arms are open wide . Will you come on in? Will you enter into a relationship with Him that will transform and renew you? This world promises inclusivity, freedom, and life but, in reality, has no way to deliver it. It seeks to control you but God seeks to free you.

He has prepared a place for you.Come discover His peace, His forgiveness, and His life.