By Larry Rosenbaum
As we read the Christmas story, it shouldn’t surprise us to learn that there was no room at the Inn. After all, many families were visiting Bethlehem because of the census. What surprises us is that nobody opened their home to Joseph and Mary, especially since she was about to give birth. The Hebrews were known for their hospitality and God had commanded them to take the poor and the stranger into their homes.
In Genesis 18, three men (whom we later learn were angels) visited Abraham, warning him about the judgment God had intended on Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham immediately told his wife to bake some bread and told his servant to kill a choice calf. Abraham knew nothing about these three strangers but he was extremely hospitable to them.
If three strangers came to our door, would we let them in? Would we let Joseph and Mary into our homes? Probably not. We live in dangerous times and will not risk the potential danger to us and our families. In Genesis 19, two angels visited Lot in Sodom. Sodom was certainly a dangerous place, filled with men who wanted to rape the visitors. For Lot, this was all the more reason
to insist that these strangers stay at his house. He knew they would not be safe in the streets. In Judges 19, an old man in Gibeah saw a traveler who had no place to stay and insisted he stay at his house, knowing the streets were not safe. Again, the men of the city wanted to rape him.
The Bible has much to say about taking in strangers, “The stranger did not lodge in the street; but I opened my doors to the traveler” Job 31:32. “Is not this the fast that I have chosen…that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house” Isa. 58:6‑7. “Come…inherit the kingdom prepared for you…for I was a stranger and you took me in” Matt. 25: 34‑35. “No widow shall be put on the list unless…she has lodged strangers” 1 Tim. 5:10. “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares,” Heb. 13:2.
Most Christians argue that it’s too dangerous to take in strangers. They might steal your possessions and, worse yet, might harm someone in your family. These are valid concerns. I believe we should exercise discernment and be sensitive to the Holy Spirit in determining whom we should let into our homes. Lot and the man of Gibeah probably sensed that the strangers visiting them were decent men. I believe that if God has blessed us with a house, at times He will lead strangers to us that he wants us to take in. There will always be an element of risk, but we must allow our lives to be directed by God’s Word and His Spirit, not by our fears.
