Philoxenia

Philoxenia in Greek is translated as 'Friend to the stranger'. The  ancient Greeks practiced the sacred rule of hospitality to strangers known as 'Xenia'. Xenia bestows guest friendship. It was rampant and significant in the days of old because people believed gods mingled among them.The Trojan war depicted in the Iliad of Homer arose from a violation of Xenia. Traveling from place to place seemed quite extensive and lengthy during those days, which could be the probable reason for the prevalence of Xenia. Travelers had to rely on hospitality for food, shelter and protection.

Xenia consisted of two basic rules. 

Rule 1:The respect given by the host to the guest - The host must provide them with a bath, food, drink, gifts and a safe escort to their next destination. It was considered rude to ask questions pertaining to their identity before they had finished their meal.

Rule 2: The respect given by the guests to hosts- The guest must be courteous. He must not be a threat or a burden. Guests are expected to provide stories and news from the outside world.

We live in the 21st century where we constantly remind our children against strangers. 'Stranger - danger'  enforces the idea that all strangers are potentially harmful. However this notion has been criticized widely since most of the harm caused are rather from people familiar to the child. 

So forget strangers, If ever we are hospitable, then who are the eligible recipients ?

We are hospitable to people who look like us, who speak our tongue, who belong to the same class and who reflect our ideology. Very often our own neighbors are disqualified from our list of hospitality. 

Are we truly hospitable? We host them for dinners. But make sure, to carefully engineer ourselves, our family and our homes (may be just the living room) to advertise the perfect picture of ourselves - or at least the picture we want to project. [Who cares about the bedroom or store room- guests don't get there]

Is this not similar to a Facebook kind of happy family in a beautiful home. (No wonder the perfect pics from the dinner night appear on Facebook/ Instagram/ WhatsApp status the very next day) 

Our hospitality has become more of ourselves and how we want ourselves to be spoken about in public. Planned hospitality at its best. 

Jesus clearly teaches hospitality in the parable of the great banquet in Luke 14 and I quote

v.12:He said to the man who invited him, "When you give a dinner or a banquet,do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid.

v.13: But when you give a feast,invite the poor,the crippled,the lame,the blind,

v.14: And you will be blessed because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just. "

Three beautiful things to grasp from the above three verses :

            

            1. Hospitality that isn't about the host: It should be treated as an opportunity to serve the sick who is in need of the physician. A sinner just like us. We very often act as saints entertaining saints.

            2.Hospitality that doesn't expect reciprocation:  Expectations of any kind - such as friendship, love and courtesy is not entertained in biblical hospitality. This is very different from the sacred law of Xenia followed by the Greeks. Bible refers to a hospitality that is void of goodness to our own selves.

            3. Hospitality that deems us blessed in the sight of God: Hospitality that cannot be repaid on earth will be repaid by our Saviour and King on the day of resurrection. Bible calls them blessed.

After one year of nurturing it, these beautiful Hibiscus flowers have bloomed this month. The Egyptian Karkade which is either hot or iced tea is served as a sign of hospitality to visitors instead of usual water or lemonade. This hibiscus beverage is made from dried Hibiscus flowers. 

Blessed are we if hospitality to people ceases to be about the best beverage/food, the best gifts or the exhibition of our own best versions. 

Hebrews 13: 1,2,16
v.1: Let brotherly love continue
v.2: Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares
v.16: Do not neglect to do good and share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

-Eben Lesley