Last week, we looked at the underlying principles of hospitality in biblical times. Having an understanding of this ancient practice can give us insight into some of the stories in the Old Testament that seem a bit strange to us. This includes the extreme example of Lot who seemed willing to betray his own daughters to protect two strangers he had taken under his roof (Gen 19:1-13) – protection of your guest was understood to be one of the core duties of a host, even to the detriment of your own family.

Another example is that of David and his men nearly starting a battle with Nabal, who refused to feed them when asked. A battle was only averted by the actions of Nabal’s wife, Abigail (1 Sam 25:1-42). David’s threats can seem extreme to us now, where many people pass by those in need without lifting a finger to help. But at the time, in that culture, Nabal’s unwillingness to offer hospitality of any sort was seen as a contemptuous insult. The horrific story in Judges 19 can also be seen in this light as a complete failure of hospitality, as well as the appalling crime committed to a defenceless woman.

Hospitality in the New Testament Church

The poor hospitality shown by Simon the Pharisee in the gospel of Luke was remarked on pointedly by Jesus, in that he provided no water for Jesus to wash his feet and did not welcome him with a kiss. Typically, Jesus only pointed this out when Simon made disparaging, judgemental remarks about the woman who washed his feet with perfume and with tears.

We know that in general, however, the custom of hospitality was still alive and well in New Testament times. It was possible for Jesus to send out his disciples two by two to preach the good news of the kingdom, taking with them just the clothes they were wearing, as it was reasonable for them to expect that people would welcome them in each town and village. And Jesus told them to leave a town where they were not welcomed, shaking the dust off their feet.

Paul’s missionary journeys, too, were made possible by the fact that he could, in the main, expect hospitality wherever he went. Both he and John commend Gaius for his hospitality Romans (16:23 and 3 John 5-8), and he asks Philemon to prepare a guest room for him. We can assume, however, that there were times when Paul didn’t receive hospitality, as he talks of being homeless, cold, and going without sleep. But in general, many people, particularly the Jews, would have kept this tradition alive, remembering the words of Isaiah, “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: … to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter…” (Isa 58:6-7).

Hospitality, particularly for those in need, is central to the Christian faith, not just a side issue.

It wasn’t just the rich with large houses that were hospitable in Bible times. Lecturer in Middle Eastern Studies, Kenneth Bailey, explains that from about the time of King David until about the mid-20th century, a typical house in the area consisted of one main family room, and another room, often on the roof or built on the side, which was dedicated for guests. Animals were brought in at night to a semi-separated section of the main room – which was likely where Jesus was born, in the house of a family whose guestroom was already full.
Hospitality is encouraged right through the New Testament. To be a bishop or overseer, for example, one of the necessary qualities listed is hospitality (1 Tim 3:2). The writer of Hebrews even says that Christians shouldn’t neglect to show hospitality, and by doing this some have entertained angels (Heb 13:2). Both Peter (1 Pet 4:9) and John (3 Jn 1:8) also highlight the importance of showing hospitality to other Christians. As we can see, hospitality, particularly for those in need, is central to the Christian faith, not just a side issue.

So what does hospitality look like today?

Hospitality includes welcoming friends and family into your home. It can also consist of things such as contributing to a Foodbank (i.e., sharing your food with others), or helping at a homeless shelter. It can further mean welcoming the homeless into your own home. Particularly relevant for today, this could also include welcoming refugees – either into your home, if you can, or into your community: both are important.Hebrews 13 2

I think it’s fair to say that hospitality is in my blood – it is certainly part of my upbringing. From when I was about 8 or 9, when my family moved into a house with a spare room, it was rare for there just to be the 5 of us for very long. Our first lodger was a Christian who had moved to the area and needed somewhere to stay. Overlapping with him came a lady who had to urgently escape an abusive marriage. The spare room was occupied, but there was a spare bed in my room, and for a few months she shared this space with me. That was probably harder for her than for me; being quite young, I think I hero-worshipped her a bit, but it was probably a relief for her to get to move into the spare room when it became free.

Over the years there was a large variety of people of all ages who shared our home; visiting preachers, foreign students, and local Christians in need, We also had a Christian asylum seeker from Iran who stayed for a couple of years, and his Muslim family too, once his claim was finally processed.

With a background like that, it seems quite natural to me to want to use our spare room in a similar way. My husband and I became volunteer hosts for Nightstop for many years, hosting a huge variety of people, normally just for a few days at a time. They included many younger people who had fallen out with parents or step-parents, and others who had lost their job and found themselves homeless.

We’ve had a number of people stay from abroad. These have comprised asylum seekers who were appealing a ‘No’ decision from the Home Office, refugees who had fallen through gaps in the system, a young lady who had been trafficked, and economic migrants from Eastern Europe who have found Britain to be a tougher place to find work than they had anticipated. I watched the beginnings of the Arab Spring on Al Jazeera TV with a migrant from Tunisia who was staying at the time.

Welcoming Ukrainian refugees

How does all this relate to hosting Ukrainian refugees? Firstly, that this should be seen as a natural outworking of the Christian faith.

The Sanctuary Foundation, led by Krish Kandiah, who also advised the government in putting together the new scheme, ran an online information session which I attended. Some of the biblical concepts we have looked at came up there. These included giving of your best, by thinking ahead of all that will be needed, and going the extra mile. Ways to really help included arranging flights to ease the stress of those fleeing terror, and procuring, where needed, items such as cots and highchairs.

Having a family stay for a long period of time can be challenging, not least in terms of financial cost and invasion of personal space. Routines may have to change, adaptations made, and time found to support the visitors. Traumatised people may need extra help, though a lot can be achieved through kindness, listening, and understanding. Occasionally, as with certain fostering scenarios, it may simply not work, which can be painful. It is not to be undertaken lightly. As we saw in our study, however, the sharing of food often leads to bonds of friendship. In many cases, relationships are formed that will long outlive the time spent sharing the home. Despite the costs and the downsides, showing hospitality in this way has, for me and my family, been wonderfully enriching.

God placed us in this world together, and wants everyone to look out for others, whether family, friends, strangers – even enemies.

Hospitality is about caring and offering protection, a safe haven, somewhere visitors can have access to the practicalities of life – food, drink, clothing, shelter. But it’s also about introducing them into the community. As we saw in our biblical study, failures of community hospitality led to severe consequences. A supportive community, however, can help people get to know others and make friends, find their way around, navigate benefits, access doctors’ surgeries, and apply for school places – as well as helping them to learn English.

Community sponsorship has been successfully tried with the Syrian refugee resettlement scheme, where people came together to help introduce families into the community. Our local church has been heavily involved in this, and many families have been successfully integrated into life here. So, whether you can house someone in your own home or not, you can still be involved in caring for those fleeing terror.¹ Indeed, supporting those hosting refugees is vitally important.

The practicalities are essential, but just as important for many of the people who come to stay is the knowledge that people care about them, that they are not alone. God placed us in this world together, and wants everyone to look out for others, whether family, friends, strangers – even enemies. As we have seen, things can go terribly wrong in life. But, to know that people care can, for some, be the first step to know that God also cares.

Notes

1 As well as the online video by the Sanctuary Foundation, there are two upcoming online training events – by Cities of Sanctuary, which will look at both the practicalities of hosting and community support, and by Reset UK, which will focus on community sponsorship (a video is also available there). Reset UK has also begun a matching process to help link families fleeing Ukraine with potential hosts in the UK, which has just now been endorsed by the UK government.