Pohl (1999) notes, “The distinctive quality of Christian
hospitality is that it offers a generous welcome to the ‘least,’ without
concern for advantage or benefit to the host” (16). In
Mark 12:31 Jesus tells his followers that the second great commandment is to
love your neighbor as yourself. In Luke
chapter ten, when asked to clarify who is ones neighbor, Jesus tells a story
(parable) that makes the cultural outcast of his day, a Samaritan, the
hero. In doing this, Jesus states
everyone that we encounter, including the outcast, is our neighbor.
Deuteronomy 14:28-29 instructed the Israelites. Once every three years the people tithed
their resources to support the widows, orphans and aliens. Exodus 22:21, Leviticus 19:34 and Deuteronomy
10: 9-10 state that there is a social responsibility to treat “the alien”
hospitably. We are all cultural
outsiders at some point and we need to be loving and so we must be empathetic
to the Other.
13:2 stresses the importance of hospitality because the hospital
has unknowingly “entertained angels.”
This was exactly the case with Abraham and Lot in Genesis 18 and
19. When this is coupled with Jesus
teaching through the Parable of the sheep and the goats it is clear that
Christians must make hospitality a high priority.
Personally, identifying Christ and angels with the “least of
these” changes the way I help the Other.
One marginalized group that I regular encounter is the homeless community. My practice, when possible is to purchase
food or other supplies when I encounter a homeless panhandler, rather than give
money. I believe my approach is valid,
but I find myself convicted about my attitude and approach as I encounter the
other in this situation. If I see Jesus
in this person, my superiority complex melts away.
Pohl, C.D. (1999). Making
room: Recovering hospitality as a Christian tradition. Grand Rapids MI:
Erdmans Publishing Company.
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