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Jesus taught that entertaining
one’s own enemies was the greatest honor of all. In Luke 6:32-35 he reasoned, “If you love
those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who
love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that
to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect
repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting
to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them
without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you
will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and
wicked.”
In Jewish and Islamic cultures one is expected
to boast about their own hospitality, nor should one be hospitable out of an
expectation for remuneration. The great
reward of hospitality is that it draws one closer to God. True hospitality flows naturally from the
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and
self-control that are the fruits of the Holy Spirit. A good host imitates and
pleases God. This was taught throughout the Middle East before the birth of
Jesus Christ, and Jesus developed the idea further in his parables and
exemplified it in his life.
