Generous Hospitality
Scripture: Luke 9:10-17
It’s starting to get late and your stomach starts rumbling. The nearest restaurant is too far to walk to, and the rest of your family is complaining. They’re wondering why you dragged them out into the middle of nowhere. Maybe you’re also starting to wonder why you came.
These might have been some of the thoughts that the crowd following Jesus were pondering as they realized just how far out of town they’d walked to see this miracle worker. They were expecting a miracle, but Jesus offered them teaching.
In a way, miracles are like fast food. They satisfy you in the moment but don’t provide lasting change or fulfillment. Jesus wanted to offer these people more than just a quick and easy meal. He drew the people far out of the city to offer them something they couldn’t receive from anywhere else — living words that inspire lasting transformation. Jesus wanted to nourish them with the truth.
By feeding them this truth, Jesus was being hospitable to the crowd of 5000 (a number that doesn’t include women and children). But we can all agree that good teachings don’t fill empty bellies. The people were still hungry, and there was no physical way to feed them all. At least, that’s probably what was going through the disciples’ minds.
And yet, Jesus plainly said that the disciples should provide food for the crowd when they grew hungry. It’s no surprise anxiety begins to overwhelm them as they wonder how on earth they’re going to play host to a crowd of 5000.
Maybe you’ve experienced similar feelings surrounding hospitality. Your mind can’t fathom how God can use you to be hospitable considering your own lack of resources. Whether you worry about inadequate space or a lack of finances, this story is an important reminder of how hospitality is A) not done in isolation and B) is done in partnership with God.
When the disciples saw the crowd, they only saw the impossible. They saw their lack of funds. Their lack of food. Perhaps even a lack of hands to help. But Jesus had more up his sleeve. Once they brought their insecurities to Jesus, he did what they should have done all along: pray. He took what they had and gave it to God. We all know how the story ends: miraculously, their resources were multiplied until every mouth was fed and there were leftovers.
This story has powerful implications for how we approach hospitality in our own lives. When we participate in the work of being hospitable, when we take what little we have and humbly give it to God, he can accomplish his purposes. After all, it wasn’t the disciples who fed the crowd of 5000 — it was God.
One common misconception is that hospitality depends on our resources. But true hospitality is God-dependent, not us-dependent. It's a matter of faith rather than material wealth. Are you only hospitable when you have an abundance of resources? When we look to Jesus, our capacity for hospitality may be stretched beyond our imagination, because he is faithful to do what he sets out to do. All we have to do is make ourselves available.
One of the reasons why we struggle with this in our day and age is that we live with a scarcity mindset. Many of us live paycheck to paycheck, a constant reminder of how little we have to offer and how far we have to go to catch up. But the life of hospitality that God offers is one that’s built on the abundance of his resources, not our own. It’s a life that’s generous not only when circumstances allow it, but even when the situation seems impossible. It’s trusting in God to give us the means to live the life we’re called to live.
If you feel challenged in your journey of hospitality, let this story remind you of how prayer sets our focus on the one who sees all and isn’t reluctant to share from his storehouses. If we’re willing to simply be open to what he wants to do, he is faithful to follow through with whatever is necessary.
Study questions:
In what ways is Jesus hospitable in this passage?
Have you ever felt like the disciples when they saw the impossible task before them? What was it like?
How can we move from a scarcity mindset to one that is generous?
What role does prayer play in hospitality?
What practical steps can you take to become more hospitable, both in your relationship with God and with others?
