Opening the Door: Biblical Hospitality in a Fearful World
Photo by Karl Hedin on Unsplash
When we hear the word hospitality, we often picture cookouts with friends or handing welcome gifts to first-time church visitors. But in the early church, hospitality meant something deeper—it meant welcoming the stranger, the outsider, and those most in need. It was not even connected to our friends and family. Instead, hospitality was “welcoming strangers and providing food and shelter for the marginalized or the foreigner."[1]
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells this parable:
“Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who will receive good things from my Father. Inherit the kingdom that was prepared for you before the world began. I was hungry and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me. I was naked and you gave me clothes to wear. I was sick and you took care of me. I was in prison and you visited me.’
“Then those who are righteous will reply to him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you a drink? When did we see you as a stranger and welcome you, or naked and give you clothes to wear? When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’
“Then the king will reply to them, ‘I assure you that when you have done it for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you have done it for me.’[2]
In everything we do, we are to care for others—yes, our friends and family, but also for the stranger, foreigner, immigrant, refugee, and people seeking asylum.
Hospitality beckons us to care and love everyone.
The word “hospitality” comes from the Greek, philoxenia, which is a “compound word: philo [that] means ‘love,’ and xenos [which] means ‘stranger, foreigner, or guest.’”[3]
Hospitality stands in direct contrast to xenophobia. Where xenophobia breeds fear and suspicion of the stranger, hospitality chooses love instead. It opens the door to the stranger with open arms, not closed fists.
To live out the call to love God, we must be people of philoxenia—people of hospitality. In other words, we must love all people.
Our love of God is shown through hospitality. Following in the way of Jesus is a life led by hospitality—a love for all people, but especially those on the margins— immigrants and refugees.
To understand and embody hospitality is more important today than ever before.
People are being wrongfully deported, and there is fear and lies being told about them because they have a certain tattoo or even because they are wearing a particular sports team hat.[4]
Some are attempting to create them into the enemy to instill a sense of fear. Fear may motivate the world, but Jesus calls us to something better.
The most common refrain in the scriptures is some version of, “Do not be afraid.”[5] We are called not only to let go of fear, but to embrace philoxenia—actively loving, caring for, and extending God’s grace to those in need.
The late Pope Francis speaks directly to this when he says, "It's hypocrisy to call yourself a Christian and chase away a refugee or someone seeking help, someone who is hungry or thirsty, toss out someone who is in need of my help... If I say I am Christian, but do these things, I'm a hypocrite."[6]
May we live into philoxenia—a call to care, especially for immigrants and refugees. Christian hospitality—love of the stranger—is more important now than ever.
Let’s go and work for justice in the many places that injustice seems to reign. Let’s illuminate the light of philoxenia—The love for all people, especially the immigrant, refugee, and asylum-seeker among us.
Let us be the ones who open the door wide.
And when others try to shut it, may we be brave enough to keep it open.
[1] Kaitlyn Schiess, The Liturgy of Politics: Spiritual Formation for the Sake of Our Neighbor (InterVarsity Press, 2020), 149.
[2] Matthew 25:43-40. CEB.
[3] John Mark Comer, Practicing the Way: Be with Jesus Become like him Do as he did (WaterBrook, 2024), 131.
[4] Julie Turkewitz, Jazmine Ulloa, Isayen Herrera, Hamed Aleaziz, and Zolan Kanno-Youngs, “‘Alien Enemies’ or Innocent Men? Inside Trump’s Rushed Effort to Deport 238 Migrants,” New York Times, April 15, 2025, https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/15/world/americas/trump-migrants-deportations.html
[5] Luke 12:32. CEB.
[6] Pope Francis, General Audience, November 6, 2019, Vatican.va, https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/audiences/2019/documents/papa-francesco_20191106_udienza-generale.html.