Gospel Hospitality—From Jesus to Us, From Us to Others
In Luke 10:38-42, Jesus and His disciples, coming into the village of Bethany, unexpectedly drop in at the home of His friends, Martha and Mary. Martha, being a gracious host, invites them in and immediately bustles into activity, stopping at nothing to make sure that all is being taken care of for their guests. Martha’s sister, Mary, instead of helping her, sits “at the Lord’s feet and listened to what He was saying” (v. 39). Offended, Martha feels she is unfairly stuck seeing to the needs of their guests while Mary just sits and listens. Martha demands Jesus tell Mary to help her. Jesus, instead, says that Mary “has chosen the better part which will not be taken away from her” (v. 42b). Mary has chosen the chance for close fellowship with the Lord.
In Jesus’ time, hospitality was an important facet of social life. Its importance was conveyed by way of the Law: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matt. 22:39), and “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Lev.19:18). These two commandments were at the center of Jesus’ ministry, dedicated not only to humanity’s restoration to fellowship with God, but also of love’s central place within the corporate life of God’s people. Showing hospitality to another was a form of honoring God’s command to love. By showing hospitality, one was extending God’s gift of love to the other, recognizing that the goodness of God dwelt within that person.
Martha and Mary’s story in Luke 10 offers two representations of the giving and receiving of hospitality. Martha represents the good-natured intent of hospitality as a social tradition. She loves Jesus and her frenzied hosting signifies her realization of who it is that is visiting them and wanting to be sure that all is well and properly taken care off. From the reader’s perspective, considering her sister’s conduct, it is logical to think that Martha’s request to Jesus in v. 40 is reasonable. Although this may be a typical reaction, the reader, at this point in the Gospel, may expect that Jesus’ response will not be along typical lines.
Jesus recognizes Martha’s meticulous care to detail. His response in v. 41 recognizes Martha’s care to detail as her way of showing love for Jesus. But He also points out that while her fastidiousness is being done with the best of intentions, it is that exact trait, at the present moment, which is blocking her from experiencing the point of this visit. Martha’s distraction illustrates the essential lesson of this incident: the importance of taking time to listen to Jesus’ words. Jesus is the visitor, yet is demonstrating the actual hospitality in the house. What Jesus points out is how Martha’s busyness and concern that everything be perfect has rendered her unable to stop and listen to Him. The “better part,” to sit and listen to Him, is what Jesus expected of them both.
Mary helps show how Jesus, in His very self, is the gift of hospitality to the people. By taking advantage of the opportunity to be fully attentive in Jesus’ presence, Mary becomes the representation of God’s words in Luke 9:35: “This is my Son, my Chosen, listen to Him!” By sitting at her Lord’s feet and listening, Mary receives the gift of Jesus’ hospitality and is fed by His words—words that are the wellspring of life and light. Unlike Martha, Mary refuses to let distractions get in her way of experiencing the fullness of Jesus’ self and allows herself to be the recipient of the greatest form of hospitality ever to grace the Earth.
Jesus’ offering of the “better part” makes Him the hospitable host and the receptive other the guest, no matter the place or circumstance. To be a Christian is to be Jesus’ guest, always receiving the hospitality of His Word, and being inspired and transformed by Him. Our reception of Jesus’ hospitality makes us better positioned to extend the gift of hospitality to others. It equips us to do good and offer the gift of love, in return for the love Jesus has shown us and His offering of Himself on the Cross for our reconciliation with God. The “better part” that Jesus gives demands that we love Him and others, for when we fail to do so, we squander the gift that we have so generously been given.
Gospel hospitality is the act of showing love to others in gratitude for the love and faithfulness given to us by Jesus. It is Christian action that points back to God’s unconditional grace offered freely to all through Jesus. Gospel hospitality has an embracing and circling effect, in that Jesus gives us the hospitality of Himself, then we spread the hospitality of His love to others, which all comes back to Jesus by our honoring of God and our neighbor. This form of service helps us to proclaim that which we have learned is good, sustaining, and everlasting—the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Our extension of hospitality, rooted in the Gospel message, has the potential of inviting others to experience Jesus as the Hope and Lover of the world. When we do this, we become conveyors of Jesus’ invitation to seek refreshment from Him that is good for all—even those who do not know Him. When we convey Gospel hospitality, we remain faithful to the Gospel message, for Jesus’ Word is truth, possessing the power to free and unify.
As Christians, we are called to carry on the tradition of Gospel hospitality. Jesus wants us to do what is right instead of constantly worrying about always being right. He asks that we be welcoming to others just as He is welcoming to us. How wonderful it is that Jesus’ presence is fully attentive to our needs. From Jesus’ hospitality we receive Himself, the “better part,” through which we also receive the gift of eternal life. In return, we are called to be givers of hospitality—welcoming all. Let us welcome Jesus into our hearts and receive the gift of His hospitable grace. From the “better part” that we receive from Him, may we carry on the tradition of Gospel hospitality, loving others as Christ loves us.
