What Does the Bible Say About Hospitality — Meaning Explained

Hospitality is one of the most consistently commanded virtues in Scripture. The Greek word philoxenia literally means 'love of strangers.' Romans 12:13 commands, 'Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.' Hebrews 13:2 adds a striking incentive: 'Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.' This references Abraham, who welcomed three travelers at Mamre and found himself hosting the Lord and two angels (Genesis 18). 1 Peter 4:9 instructs, 'Use hospitality one to another without grudging.' Hospitality is a qualification for elders: a bishop must be 'given to hospitality' (1 Timothy 3:2; Titus 1:8). Widows worthy of church support were marked by having 'lodged strangers' and 'washed the saints' feet' (1 Timothy 5:10). 3 John 5-8 commends Gaius for receiving traveling missionaries and calls believers to welcome such servants of the truth, becoming 'fellowhelpers to the truth.' Jesus Himself exemplified and rewarded hospitality. He dined with Pharisees and publicans, with Mary and Martha, with Zacchaeus. In Matthew 25 He identified Himself with the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick, and the prisoner, saying, 'Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.' Old Testament law commanded Israel to love the stranger, 'for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt' (Deuteronomy 10:19). Biblical hospitality is not merely entertaining friends in beautiful homes; it is opening our lives, tables, and resources to those who cannot repay us — strangers, missionaries, the poor, the lonely. Luke 14:13-14 says, 'When thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee.' Hospitality reflects the gospel itself: while we were strangers, God welcomed us into His family.