The Shunamite Woman: Cultivating a Heart of Hospitalityنموونە

Hospitality: How Loving the Stranger is Part of the Christian Ethic

Throughout the Bible, we are given examples of believers who practiced hospitality. In addition to the Shunammite woman, you may recall the Old Testament stories of Boaz and Ruth, Abraham and the angels who visited him, or King David inviting Mephibosheth to eat at his table. And in the New Testament, we read that the believers sold their possessions and shared what they had with people in need. We also see examples in the lives of Mary and Martha, Priscilla and Aquila, the apostle Paul, and many others.

Not only does the Bible give practical examples to follow, it also directly teaches us to practice hospitality. In the Old Testament, God instructed the Israelites to care for and love foreigners as themselves. In the New Testament, hospitality was one of the ethical principles that marked the early Christian church. Early church believers were repeatedly told to “practice hospitality” to strangers. The Greek word often used in the New Testament for hospitality is “philoxenia,” which translates to “loving strangers.”

What we see is that Biblical hospitality involves both the heart and hands. It is both an act we do to meet another’s need and an attitude and willingness of the heart to love those in need, even strangers. Often, we focus on the practical aspects of hospitality, like providing food and shelter. But as always, God wants to go deeper with us. He wants hospitality to flow from both our hearts and hands.

So how do we begin? How do we bridge the gap between knowing the Biblical command to show hospitality and the practice of doing it? We start where God starts: with our hearts. We ask him to cultivate a posture of hospitality in us, to shape our hearts to share his love and concern for strangers and desire to welcome them into our lives, our homes, and ultimately into the family of God.

Reflection Questions

• What are the characteristics of hospitality? List both attitudes and actions.
• How can you further cultivate hospitality in your life?
• Whose needs might God be asking you to meet?
• What is one practical step you can take today?