Hospitality Makes God Real Every day

Is hospitality something we only show to others, to our guests? If you had asked me this question before reading Luke 24:13-35, I would most likely have said yes. But in this scripture, two men are walking down the road, when they meet a stranger. The stranger engages in their conversation, and as the two men are distraught by the recent events of Jesus’ death and then missing body, they start to express their view of what is happening. To step into their shoes, they have been following this man, who they know and believe is the Messiah, when everything goes to pot. Everything they knew in their human mind went away. Sure they knew what the prophets wrote about the coming Messiah, but when reality hit, they had trouble believing. The stranger (who is Jesus, but they do not recognize) proceeds to remind them of what the prophets wrote and yet, they still do not recognize him all while walking along the dusty road.

Then, as the sun is fading and the two men make it to their destination, the stranger start to continue on. The men invite the stranger in, and he accepts. But this is where the hospitality part turns on its head. Instead of sitting and politely eating the food, and offering to clear the dishes, the stranger starts to act as host and breaks bread with them. Immediately they recognize that this stranger they have been speaking with all day is Jesus. Jesus became the one giving the hospitality, even after everything He had been through, to open their eyes so that they might see. Both parties were engaging in acts of hospitality, which as defined in the dictionary is “a cordial and generous reception of or disposition toward guests.” It was in the men’s hospitality toward this stranger that they were then shown hospitality by God as Jesus.

So what can we take away? Is God sometimes a stranger in our lives, either because we don’t recognize Him or at times, don’t want to recognize Him? And if so, will He let it stay that way? It doesn’t seem that way. With all of the rapture talk that has been going on, we know that only God knows when He will reveal himself, (Mark 13:32-33). But in the mean time, shouldn’t we be ready? Shouldn’t we always show hospitality to others and not just expect it in return? Nothing is a one way street, and even though we know God loves us unconditionally even though we can’t ever measure up to what He wants us to be, we can still try. We can still be generous with our love towards others. If someone is showing hospitality to you, don’t they then deserve that hospitality back? If we don’t practice this with ourselves, can we really practice hospitality for God? Now that is some food for thought at your next dinner party.