The Biblical Importance of Sharing a Meal

Seth McDonald
05/25/25 - Sunday AM Worship

"Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares." – Hebrews 13.1-2

1. Hospitality is Commanded

1. Hospitality is a broad subject that includes providing for the physical needs of others. – James 1.27; 2 Kings 4.8-37; Luke 10.25-37
2. Christians must be hospitable people.
   1. Seek for opportunities to show hospitality. – Romans 12.13
   2. Without grumbling. – 1 Peter 4.9
   3. Elders & “worthy widows” must be hospitable. – 1 Tim 3.2; 5.10; Titus 1.8
3. An aspect of hospitality includes inviting people into your home to share a meal.
   1. Strangers – Luke 14.12-14
   2. Brethren / Church family – Galatians 6.10
       

2. Biblical hospitality is a way to show love.
   1. Hospitality: "Philoxenia" – Philo (love) + xenos (stranger) = "Love of strangers"
   2. Abraham showed love to strangers. – Hebrews 13.2; Genesis 18.1-8
   3. Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners. – Matthew 9.10-13; Mark 2.15-22
   4. God is the first Host
      1. “You prepare a table before me…” – Psalm 23.5
      2. “Blessed are those invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” – Rev 19.9
   5. When you receive an invitation, you know you are valued.
       
3. Biblical hospitality is an expression of unity and peace.
   1. Early Christians were in each other’s houses.  – Acts 2.46-47
   2. Sharing meals was used to ratify covenants.
      1. Jacob and Laban make a covenant and seal it by “eating bread” together.
         – Genesis 31:54
      2. After making a covenant with Israel, Moses, Aaron, and the elders "beheld God, and ate and drank." – Exodus 24:9-11
   3. Jesus ate breakfast with disciples who had forsaken Him. – John 21.1-14
   4. One purpose of the Lord’s Supper is in the word “communion.” – 1 Cor 10.16

4. Hospitality creates deeper connections.
   1. Hospitality makes you more vulnerable, and that’s a good thing.
      1. It is an invitation to invade your safe space, where you relax.
      2. When welcoming others into your home, you welcome them into your heart.
      3. C.S. Lewis: “Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, ‘What! You too? I thought I was the only one.’”
   2. Some needed conversations only happen in a home. – James 5.16
   3. Gathering with Christians prevents “drifting away.”
      1. We are to encourage one another daily. – Hebrews 3.13
      2. Provokes love & good works. – Hebrews 10.24-25
   4. When a brother is rebellious, we are to “not even eat” with them. – 1 Cor 5.11
      1. Purpose is to keep ourselves from a sinful influence.
      2. Also, for their benefit to show a disconnect in our unity.
         1. It should hurt when those connections are taken away.
         2. For discipline to be affective, there must be hospitality that they will miss.
             
5. Suggestions to Improve
   1. Invite openly without expectations.
      1. “Hey, I’d love to have you over sometime soon—nothing fancy, just good company and something to eat. Would you be up for that?”
      2. Sets a friendly, pressure-free tone.
   2. Keep it simple and sincere.
      1. Presence is more important than performance or presentation.
      2. Authenticity is far more welcoming than formality.
      3. "When hospitality becomes an art, it loses its very soul." Max Beerbohm
      4. Embrace the imperfection.

Have a Hospitality Goal to Form a Habit