Hospitable & Welcoming: The Shunamite Woman, Martha, Mary & Lydia

‘Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels. ~ Hebrews 13:2 NKJV

I don’t know whether I can write about being hospitable and welcoming without talking about the Shunamite woman. She was a woman from Shunem whom the bible has described as a wealthy woman. One day Elisha went to Shunem and she invited him for a meal and from that time on, every time he went to Shunem, he would have his meals at her house. She also went ahead and convinced her husband to build a small room for him.

‘And she said to her husband, “Look now, I know that this is a holy man of God, who passes by us regularly. Please, let us make a small upper room on the wall; and let us put a bed for him there, and a table and a chair and a lampstand; so it will be, whenever he comes to us, he can turn in there.”’ 2 Kings 4:9-10 NKJV

It amazes me how this woman opened her house to a stranger whom she believed was a holy man of God and it paid off. I believe with all my heart that she wasn’t doing it for some perceived gain or benefit; she had a heart of giving. This simply means that a hospitable and welcoming woman is a generous person; she is a giver. I don’t need to tell you that you cannot be generous and remain poor. It cannot even go unnoticed before the eyes of God.

‘The generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself.’ ~ Proverbs 11:25 NKJV

The Oxford English dictionary defines a hospitable person as someone who is “friendly and welcoming to visitors or guests.” They show affection to others, even strangers. They receive, love and share with them without counting the cost.

Hospitality is a way of showing love and affection to others by letting them know that we care through our actions. It’s a way of extending unconditional love to strangers which is mostly defined by how we treat them. A hospitable and welcoming person lets their actions speak, which I believe is all about the love and warmth that comes from their hearts. We cannot overlook what Rahab did either. The mere fact that she took two spies into her house, welcomed them, and risked her life just to protect them tells us that she was a hospitable woman. They were strangers in Jericho, yet she covered them and helped them escape. How amazing, right?

Look at Martha and Mary, the two sisters who welcomed Jesus in their home.

‘Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house.’ ~ Luke 10:38 NKJV

Jesus loved this family so much (John 11:5). It consisted of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus and whenever He traveled to Jerusalem, He would stay in their home. Martha is presumed to be the eldest of all because she is always mentioned first and surprisingly, she was the head of the household because we are told that Martha welcomed Jesus to her house. We cannot leave her sister out though because they are mentioned together every time. It’s their hospitality and welcoming nature that is of great interest to me in this article. I believe that Jesus doesn’t force Himself on people and even when He was here on earth, it was the same thing. The fact that He chose to stay in their home and they also became His cherished friends shows that they were welcoming people.

Lydia is another woman we cannot overlook even though not much details are given of her. She, also, is a fantastic example of a hospitable and welcoming woman.

‘Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. And when she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” So she persuaded us.’ ~ Acts 16:14-15 NKJV

We need to understand that we cannot talk of hospitality without talking of being welcoming, and for a woman to be like this, she must have an open heart; a heart that is full of love. Her heart must be a heart that shows kindness to others. This kind of woman has a unique way of making people feel comfortable and secure.

To “welcome” is “to receive or embrace” according to NIV Exhaustive Bible Concordance. A hospitable woman is also a woman that honors. Inviting people to your home is simply honoring them. You are trying to let them know that you honor them enough to make space for them in your life. Honor is an act of love. When you sincerely love someone, you honor them. This kind of honor can be shown by sharing your space, coffee, bread, prayers, or a listening ear with someone else. Once you open your home or heart and invite others in, embrace and show them kindness, you are in essence being hospitable and welcoming and you are showing them that they are worth your time, attention, and real connection. 

Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality ~ Romans 12:13 ESV

A hospitable and welcoming woman is also a woman of service. When you are doing whatever you are doing to make someone else feel comfortable and loved in your space, you are actually serving them. Hospitality is an act of service. God has called us to show love and to embrace others; to show honor and to serve those around us with the love of Christ. I do understand that some of us are not as open as this and others cannot allow people into our space, but I also believe that we cannot be in a position to receive and embrace others unless the love of Christ is in our hearts. We need to show love to people and love them the way Christ did and if we fall short of it, we can ask God to help us. Christ has opened His arms to us and received us as His own. He has honored us enough to die for us and He has served us through His example.

If you study all the examples of the women I have talked about in this article, you will realize that they all reaped the benefits of their hospitality. God is calling us to be hospitable and welcoming. He wants us to open our hearts, hands, and our homes to others; embrace them and show kindness to them. Sometimes all a person needs is a warm embrace and they are good to face the next chapter of their lives. And sometimes all you need is to open your heart and space to people and who knows, they may be carrying the answers you’ve been looking for.

‘“He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.”’ ~ Matthew 10:40-42 NKJV

‘Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”’ ~ Luke 6:38 NKJV