Hospitality in a hostile world

These days, the goal that drives us may be described as satisfaction, fulfillment,

balance, wholeness, or contentment. But to our ancestors in faith, the goal was

righteousness. The Psalmist, an ancient author whose current equivalent may be found in the self-help section of the bookstore, describes the way to achieve righteousness. Deal generously – conduct your affairs with justice – dare I say it, be hospitable (in the broadest sense of the word) and it will go well with you. And so today I wonder - could it really be that simple?

Hospitality is a word that has many connotations for the modern, ‘western’ world. The development of the ‘hospitality industry’ has added an unfortunate layer of complication to our ideas about being hospitable, and I think Jesus can help us recover something meaningful, maybe even life-changing, where our relationships with one another are concerned.

Jesus too refers to righteousness – though in an odd way. You will be rewarded at the resurrection of the righteous, he says, and we can be forgiven for thinking he’s talking about the end of time. But what if he’s taking about a renewal of right-thinking? A rebirth of generosity and justice – an outbreak of real hospitality in a hostile and inhospitable world?

The dinner party that Luke’s gospel describes is not so much a social event as it is a trap and a test for Jesus. He is there among the ‘in’ crowd – the clever and the powerful people of the day are gathered at the home of a leader. Jesus does a thing – the set-up is a familiar one; en route to the party, a sabbath celebration, Jesus meets a man in distress and makes him whole. His questions about the purpose of the Sabbath are familiar (almost identical to last week’s gospel) as is the astonishment and discomfort of the religious authorities who are among the crowd of folks favoured by a dinner invitation.

Luke’s gospel then introduces us to a situation that we may well recognize: the jostling and jockeying of folks at an event all trying for maximum exposure to the ‘guest of honour.’

That moment at a dinner, or a public function where folks try to measure their importance by choosing a strategic seat; one that gets them the host’s ear – one that gets them in the official photograph. Seating arrangements at official dinners are almost always planned with a kind of military precision. Your place in the pecking order is revealed by your seat at the table. It was evident on this day, and Jesus offers an alternative.

It turns out hospitality isn’t just the duty of the host. The guests, in showing humility, disrupt the power play that is inherent in a social gathering. Humility is essential to good hospitality. The phrase we remember from this passage – “Those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted” is near to a paraphrase of Psalm 112.

But Jesus, being Jesus, goes further. His instructions to the host through another wrench into the powerplay that is ‘the dinner party.’

Don’t invite your equals. Don’t create events that will bring you status or earn you a favour. Keep the ‘power’ out of your ‘power lunches.’ Instead, invite those who have no status – and bear in mind the parable, still ringing in their ears, about the humility of the guests that brings glory – and you will be repaid “at the resurrection of the righteous.”

Jesus is not talking about the end of time. He is offering a model for the rebirth of civil society. Such an approach to hospitality – guests who expect no honour and hosts who don’t demand reciprocity – levels the social, economic, political and cultural playing field in a way that would change the world.

You say ‘pie-in-the-sky.’ Jesus says ‘Kingdom of God,’ or ‘resurrection of the righteous.’

Our pursuit of something better – our desire for good sense to ‘break out’ in the world – our longing after the promises of God – Jesus suggests that we can realize these dreams by modelling this brand of hospitality. Divine hospitality picks no favourites and asks nothing in return.

God’s hospitality doesn’t choose one over the other – the ‘chosen’ people are chosen to tell a particular part of God’s story, not the entirety of it. Instead, God has opened the party to all – admitting people of every ability, with a wide variety of opinions, hopes and dreams, and from all parts of the social strata.

God’s hospitality is life-changing, and Jesus invites us to follow God’s example. Show no favourites; ask no favours; run the risk of a chaotic seating plan; share an experience with someone different than yourself. These are the highlights of the life of Jesus as described in the Gospels; eating and drinking and talking and living with folk who had no standing and no power, Jesus elevated the humanity of these people. He reminded his audience that everyone is on God’s “A-list.”

And he constantly invites us to live in the same way. Show no favourites – ask no favours. Live with the chaos of a social order with blurry boundaries. Feed the poor – love your enemy – do good to those who persecute you.

Not once does Jesus aim for first place – that’s what makes his the ‘name above all names.’ We are called to live out his example. Just imagine how that might change the world.