Caring for God’s People
Read Hebrews 13:1, 2; Romans 12:13; 1 Timothy 3:2; Titus 1:8; and
1 Peter 4:9. What was the role of hospitality in the early church?
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Christianity was a wandering movement that often depended on the
hospitality of both Christians and non-Christians. The instruction to
“not forget” to show hospitality probably does not simply refer to the
failure to think about taking someone in but about willful neglect.
Paul does not have in mind hospitality only for fellow b ­ elievers.
He reminds his readers that by entertaining strangers some have
unwittingly entertained angels (Heb. 13:2). He probably had
in mind the visit of the three men to Abraham and Sarah (Gen.
18:2–15). Offering hospitality implies sharing possessions with
other people and suffering with them, which is what Jesus did for
us (Heb. 2:10–18).
Brotherly love toward those in prison implied not only that ­believers
remembered prisoners in their prayers but also that believers provided
relief through material and emotional support. There was a risk of will-
ful neglect of prisoners. Those who provided material and emotional
support to those condemned by society identified themselves with
them. In some sense, they became “partners” with them and made
themselves vulnerable to social abuse (Heb. 10:32–34).
Paul’s exhortation uses images and language to encourage the
readers in regard to prisoners. First, the author evokes the readers’ own
support for their incarcerated brethren in the past. They had become
“companions” or “partners” to those who had been “publicly exposed
to reproach and affliction” (Heb. 10:33, ESV). Second, the language of
“mistreatment” echoes the example of Moses, who chose “rather to be
mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures
of sin” (Heb. 11:25, ESV). Finally, Paul captures the ideal of brotherly
love. He reminds the readers that they “also are in the body” (Heb.
13:3, ESV). They share the same human condition and should treat
others as they would like to be treated if they were in the same circum-
stances; that is, in prison. The people should, then, provide material
and emotional support to prisoners, showing them that they are not
abandoned.
What more can we do for those who are in prison, whether
church members or not?