GREAT THINGS ENTERPRISE
CLAUDE BLACK
Mark 6:10
Hospitality
Driving south on I-95, there was a rumble in the RV, and it suddenly pulled to the right—a tire blew out. I managed to get the machine off the road and assess the situation. As I began the process of changing the tire, a man driving a pickup pulled in front of us. Without many formalities, he began helping to change the tire. After the job was completed, he helped us find a local tire store and led us there. After everything was under control, he prepared to leave, and I tried to compensate him for the gracious help he had given. However, he would not accept a gesture of thanks, so I told him that I would find two occasions when I could offer to someone the same kind of assistance that he gave us. I have since found one occasion to extend the same level of hospitality that he gave to us. There’s still one more to go.
Jesus instructed his disciples about their conduct during their first evangelistic itinerary: “And he said to them, ‘Whenever you enter a house, remain there until you go out from there.’” (Mark 6:10) In this era, hospitality was a sacred duty. When a stranger entered a village, it was not his duty to search for hospitality; it was the duty of the village to offer it. When the disciples accepted hospitality, Jesus told them they were not to look around for better accommodations. Such behavior would be insulting to the host, suggesting that the hospitality offered was inadequate. It would also give the appearance that these apprentice missionaries were more interested in their accommodations than in the work before them.
The custom and the culture have changed, of course, but the importance of giving and receiving hospitality as described in this lesson has not.
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