Biblical Hospitality: What Is It?
Every so often Caleb and I have the opportunity to lead a worship song together at wedding ceremonies. Earlier this year, we led “In Christ Alone” at the wedding of two of our closest friends in Cleveland, Ohio. I was also a bridesmaid in the wedding, so we arrived in Cleveland a couple days early so that I could be a part of all the pre-wedding festivities.
On night two, after practicing “In Christ Alone” with Caleb, after staying up a bit late the night before, and after talking far more than I typically would in one weekend (hello introvert), my throat started to hurt. I knew I wasn’t getting sick and that it was just due to a tired voice and seasonal allergies, but this wedding was a September 2020 wedding. Showing any sign or symptom of a sore throat or stuffy nose was pretty much self-quarantine knocking at your door.
After returning to our hotel the night before the wedding, I knew all that I needed were a few cough drops and a hot tea. They would do the trick! But, we arrived at the hotel pretty late and most stores or restaurants were closed for the night. My only option was to ask the front desk and to hope no one heard my symptom confession.
I walked up to talk to the gentleman behind the desk and sheepishly asked for cough drops and any hot tea they might have available. The response I received from this man was one of genuine concern and a sincere desire to meet my needs above and beyond my expectations. I was met with a hot mug of tea made with two tea bags, specifically because he said tea is always best when you have two. He also particularly chose one bag of sleepytime tea (to help me sleep) and one bag of throat coat tea (to help with my throat). In addition to this, I left with enough ibuprofen to get me through until the next day, cough drops, and an extra set of tea bags in case I needed them in the morning. The next morning, as Caleb and I left for the day, this man asked Caleb how I was feeling and if I needed anything else.
How Have Others Sought to Define Hospitality?
Coming upon a definition of hospitality is a bit tricky because hospitality is known today in many forms. It is known as an industry in which people are provided services in places such as hotels, restaurants, and event venues, and it represented in books and on social media, namely Pinterest, as the art of inviting others into a beautifully cultivated space. There are even a variety of proposed Christian or biblical definitions of hospitality, each cleverly highlighting the many different facets of hospitality. Here are some of my favorites that I came upon in my quest to define hospitality.
“Biblical hospitality seeks to meet others needs without any desire for affirmation or attention or payback. It’s simply about making people feel loved, and it can take so many forms.”
“Biblical hospitality is setting the table and inviting people of all kinds to come and creating environments where the Gospel can be shared, along with good conversation and fellowship.”
“Counterfeit hospitality seeks to impress and entertain. Counterfeit hospitality separates host and guest in ways that allow no blending of the two roles. It separates people into noble givers and needy receivers, or hired givers and privileged receivers. Counterfeit hospitality comes with strings; Christian hospitality comes with strangers becoming neighbors becoming family of God.”
“We need to look at hospitality as less of a setting and more as a posture of service we can contextualize. There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to how to practice hospitality.”
Each of these definitions highlight essential characteristics of hospitality that should not be overlooked. Mary Mohler reminds us that hospitality is motivated by a selfless desire to meet needs and to love others without expecting affirmation in return. Jen Wilkin features the beauty of fellowship and the necessity of open invitation in order that good conversation may be had. Rosaria Butterfield emphasizes brilliantly that the goal of Christian hospitality is that the gospel may be shared and strangers may become family. Finally, Lindsay Swartz reveals that hospitality may be best understood as a disposition, and not a perfectly prepared or extravagant setting.
Based upon these helpful definitions, we can be certain about what biblical hospitality is not. It is not merely about impressing others, it is not self-serving, and it is not limited to a table filled with food or entertainment. Hospitality is complex and it is beautiful, perhaps that’s why it is so hard to define concisely. My mind, though, likes a clear definition. That’s why I would like to propose my own definition that includes portions of each of the above summaries. I fully recognize that my definition is not comprehensive itself either, but it has provided clarity and motivation for myself as I seek to show hospitality toward others.
Toward My Own Definition
So, what is biblical hospitality?
If we take a look at the original Greek New Testament, one word in particular is used on multiple occasions when referring to hospitality. This word is philoxenia, a noun which is often translated, “love of strangers.” Philoxenia appears in Romans 12:13 and Hebrews 13:2. Closely related to this noun, is the adjective philoxenos used in passages such as 1 Peter 4:9, Titus 1:8, and 1 Timothy 3:2. Philoxenos can be similarly translated as, “loving strangers.” No matter the form of the word used, the general idea presented is that believers, both those in leadership and those not, are commanded to practice hospitality and commended for love extended toward strangers.
In a very narrow sense, then, biblical hospitality is the act of exercising love of the stranger. Broadly speaking, there are many different ways this could be practiced, and we see this command uniquely carried out by the early church, particularly in the book of Acts (Acts 16:11-15, 16:25-34, 21:8). Hospitality is exemplified in the New Testament as the practice of loving both friends and strangers, and meeting needs as they arise.
With the help of Mary Mohler, Jen Wilkin, Rosaria Butterfield, Lindsay Swartz, and the original language of the New Testament, here’s a definition I propose…
“Motivated by God’s hospitable giving of His Son, biblical hospitality is the humble and sacrificial pursuit of others for the purpose of meeting their needs without condition. Unlike entertaining, it may often occur over a beautifully prepared meal, but it is not limited to the dining table. Biblical hospitality seeks to meet needs beyond the physical, seeing physical needs as a doorway to relationship and sacred conversation.”
At the beginning of this post, I shared a story about a hospitable hotel manager who went above and beyond my own expectations in order to meet a need I had. His example is a small glimpse of what I think hospitality should look like, and I am convinced that all believers have already obtained every needed motivation in Christ to model similar behavior to both friends and strangers. Next week, we will unpack my proposed definition a bit more, and in future posts will consider a theology of hospitality as presented in the New Testament and scriptural motivations for hospitality.
