Hospitality Beyond the Dinner Table

"Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it."
— Hebrews 13:2

The world's definition of hospitality may not entirely be wrong, but the biblical definition of hospitality is not a flawless entertainment among friends and loved ones but making emotional and physical space for the lonely, the outsiders, and the broken in our everyday life. The concept of biblical hospitality extends beyond family, friends, and relatives; it goes wide to everyone who needs a shoulder to lie on and a helping hand.

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The story of the good Samaritan is an illustration of what love and hospitality should represent in the body of Christ. It shouldn't come with endless rows of conditions and terms, but a sincere heart that spreads love to all as a nature of God. The good Samaritan did not leave the stranger behind to die even when others neglected him on the roadside. He paid for his treatment and every cost that was involved from his own purse, demanding nothing in return but that the helpless man becomes well. Hospitality is beyond the dinner table where people serve sumptuous meals and laugh among family, elites, and friends—it's making space for everyone, including strangers.

Tabitha, known as Dorcas, was also a woman who was known for her hospitality to widows. She sewed clothes for as many as she was able to reach, and her generosity was praised. Some may not encounter angels; some may, but either way, our lives should speak of God's nature in love, kindness, and faith. While the world throws banquets for the rich in the name of hospitality, Christians should make a difference by making emotional and physical space for the lonely, strangers, and those who are broken. We should love without expecting anything in return and should not be discouraged to accommodate the lonely and strangers. By so doing, we may show hospitality to angels without knowing.