3 Ways Jesus Shows Us How to Practice Hospitality

“Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head” (Luke 9:58).

It seems kind of strange to take hospitality advice from someone who lived many years relatively homeless. But hospitality is about far more than opening up your home. The home is an outward expression of yourself. Hospitality is about opening up yourself to others. It is not merely about hosting lavish dinner parties or providing a comfortable place to stay; it encompasses a deeper sense of welcoming, acceptance, and love towards others. Jesus is our model for this way of being.

There are four major ways in which Jesus shows us how to practice hospitality.

1. Jesus Welcomed Outsiders

The heart of hospitality is opening up your life to another person – a person who is outside of your “home.” You cannot be hospitable if you aren’t welcoming to outsiders. It’s no great thing to welcome those who are your best friends. And it’s certainly not noble to open your home up to those who will elevate your social standing. The real test is how we extend hospitality to those who are on the margins of society.

Jesus dined with tax collectors, spoke with the hated Samaritans, and loved sinners of all stripes. He was welcoming to outsiders. There wasn’t a single person who was an “outsider” that he wasn’t inviting into being an “insider.”

Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman in John 4 is a beautiful picture of his welcoming of outsiders. He treated her like a human, which is likely something that hadn’t happened to her for years. He engaged her in conversation (which was unheard of) and he offered to her the greatest gift of all – namely, Himself. There was a great cultural divide between Jews and Samaritans. But Jesus set aside these differences and engaged her where she was. He welcomed her.

We too are called to exhibit this kind of welcoming to outsiders. We can be tempted to view people in categories and shut ourselves off from them. Yet, Jesus calls us to welcome “outsiders” into our lives. We too must embrace diversity and treat others with the dignity and respect they deserve as fellow image bearers.

2. Jesus Humbly Served Others

While it is in the category of hospitality to open up your home to friends and having them over for a board game night, hospitality also involves service to others. It’s about prioritizing the gifts of others over your own. As an example, this is why most traditionally will have guests eat first. It’s simply a way of showing others that their needs trump our own.

Jesus did this by washing the feet of his disciples, by feeding the hungry, healing the sick, and even by reproducing these things in the life of his disciples. Jesus was consistently selfless. He put the needs of others above his own. Jesus illustrated this in the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37).

In that parable everyone was too busy, distracted, and concerned with their own world to help the man who was dying on the side of the road. And yet the Samaritan stopped. He put the needs of the man in the ditch above his own needs. In order to do this, he had to set aside his own agenda and press into the inconvenience which helping would bring on.

This parable is an invitation for us to embrace this type of hospitality which Jesus exemplified in his own life. Philippians 2:5-8 reminds us of Jesus’ selfless act of taking “on the form of a servant.” Jesus teaches us to actively pursue meeting the needs of others.

3. Jesus Helped Others Feel Safe through His Authenticity

I suppose it could be argued that Jesus wasn’t exactly hospitable to the religious elite. Yet, even in this he was inviting them into a better life. They simply rejected his hospitality. The religious leaders did not appreciate the authenticity with which Jesus lived. He was a threat to their power. And so in this regard, they didn’t “feel safe” with Jesus.

But when it came to the vulnerable, Jesus’ authenticity was a breath of fresh air. As you read through the pages of the New Testament, it is clear that even if they were no longer comfortable holding onto their sin in his presence, they themselves were comfortable in his presence. We see this with Zacchaeus the tax collector. He was no longer comfortable extorting people — but he certainly felt welcome to dine with Jesus.

Jesus consistently offered compassion and understanding to those who were burdened by sin, guilt, and shame. He invited them to be authentic — just as He was authentic. There was something about Jesus that invited this unfiltered relationship. They knew that they would be accepted in his presence. It was only because the religious leaders couldn’t drop the pretense that they couldn’t find life in Jesus.

We see this intersection in the story of the sinful woman in Luke 7:36-50. The religious elite stood in judgment over her. She was an outcast. She certainly would not have felt welcome in Simon’s house. If he wasn’t a good host for Jesus, he certainly wouldn’t have rolled out the red carpet for this “sinful woman.” He wasn’t hospitable at all. And yet in Simon’s home, Jesus modeled hospitality by how he received this woman. He welcomed her, let her express her heart and self through her actions, and defended her against her detractors. She clearly felt comfortable sharing who she as and also finding healing in Jesus.

We too must reflect Jesus' love, acceptance, and forgiveness.

4. Jesus Drew People Out and Engaged Them

If someone invited you over to their house and then sat you down for two hours and explained everything about their life, whilst only feigning momentary interest in your own life, how would you respond? Would you want to go back to their house? Would you feel welcomed and loved and valued? Of course, not! Hospitality is not a one-sided act. It requires genuine listening, engaging, and valuing the stories and experiences of others. Jesus was a master at engaging people in meaningful dialogue, offering his undivided attention, and truly listening to others.

When everyone wanted to keep on trucking, Jesus stopped for blind Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52). He not only stopped for him, but he responded with compassion and he actively listened to his story. Jesus drew him out. “What do you want me to do for you” is the language of hospitality.

You get the idea that when someone engaged with Jesus, they would have felt like the only person in the room. The gospel writers tend to paint pictures of swirling chaos in the background but a focused calm when Jesus looks upon a person. This is a picture of what hospitality ought to be. When others enter our home (or our spaces) they should feel as if they are at rest. We should be actively engaged.

Jesus interacted with people in such a way that it communicated “you belong here.”

People of Hospitality

Hospitality lies at the heart of the Christian faith, and Jesus serves as the perfect example for us to emulate. By welcoming the outsiders, humbly serving others, making them feel safe and welcomed as we actively engage them, we will be practicing hospitality in a way that reflects the love of Christ.

Jesus lived hospitality. His hospitality is the reason why any of us have a place in the kingdom of God. Let us be people of hospitality.

Photo credit: Unsplash/Aaron Burden