May 14-20 Matt. 10 Hospitality
I have been living with this text for 2 weeks now and each day I see something different. Each day I find myself inspired and perplexed. I have been encouraged to live this call of Jesus, but I have also been asking myself what it looks like in Salem, OR and in my Neighborhood.
I have been thinking about the disciples going into a town and staying with someone from the Hosts perspective. To welcome these strangers in the beginning of Kingdom Ministry. If the disciple is not invited in then the town looses out on ministry. I am reminded of the Emmaus Story (Luke 24) of how the disciples invited the stranger (Jesus) in and received his peace.
I think this is a counter cultural and yet Kingdom calling to be a host to the strangers. I believe we are afraid of those we don't know and currently the circle of people we don't know is getting bigger and not smaller. To invite a stranger into our home today is Radical. In some ways I am beginning to feel that what Alan Roxburg says is true, "welcoming the stranger begins our own conversion to the gospel of the Kingdom."
As I sat on the airport shuttle and in the airplane I started asking myself the question, "what would it be like to have this or that person over for dinner?" Immediately these people became more human to me, less like strangers and more like interesting and intriguing people I had not meet yet.
What does this stir in you (fear, excitement, caution, the Holy Spirit)?
Next Face to Face meeting (at the IkeBox) Thursday May 25 at 6:30pm
posted by DJ @ 11:16 AM
2 comments
2 Comments:
"If the disciple is not invited in then the town looses out on ministry".
Building on my previous weeks post, again I would suggest putting the verse that is being referenced above in context.
Prior to these words of Christ, the original 12 disciples were given the power to perform miracles (Matt10:8). Jesus also instructs his first 12 disciples to go first to the "lost sheep" of Israel. So for me it is not a stretch to see that Matt 10:11-15 has a specific literal application meant only for the 12 disciples. In short, perform miracles go to the towns of unbelieving Jews and offer them the salvation of Christ. For the towns (of unbelieving Jews) that reject the disciple, their fate is worse than that of Sodom and Gomorrah (Matt 10:15). These instructions were given to fulfill OT prophesy.
To address the other portion of the original post. I truly beielve that Emmaus story urges present day believers to foster community with people, even strangers. This urging stirs passion in me. A passion to demonstrate grace, mercy and love to the strangers that cross our paths.
Anonymous,
I appreciate your pushing my overstatement on this point. I believe you have sharpened the context of this passage. I think you followed my line of thinking that Hospitality is the crucible or Petri dish for the message of the gospel. However, to say in today's context that it is indicative for the disciple to be invited into a particular town or home is a miss application.
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