Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
The book of Hebrews is a letter written to encourage early Jewish Christians who were under pressure and tempted to abandon their faith. Chapter 13 closes the letter with a series of practical instructions for how believers should treat one another and the world around them. 'Entertaining strangers' — or showing hospitality — was a sacred duty in the ancient Near East, where travelers had no inns or hotels and depended entirely on the generosity of households. The writer is almost certainly referencing a famous story from the book of Genesis, in which a man named Abraham welcomed three unexpected strangers who turned out to be messengers from God — and received a life-changing promise in return. The verse's point is both practical and theological: when you open your life to someone you don't know, you may be receiving far more than you realize.
God, forgive me for the doors I've kept shut to people I didn't recognize. Open my eyes to the stranger at the edge of my ordinary week, and give me the courage to move toward them — not knowing what I'll find, but trusting you'll be there too. Amen.
We've become experts at curated community. Our feeds show us people who already agree with us, our friend groups drift toward the comfortable and familiar, and the doors — literal and metaphorical — we open most easily are the ones to people we already know. The strange and unfamiliar carry risk, and we're wired to minimize risk. But the writer of Hebrews suggests we're calculating wrong. When Abraham saw three strangers coming down a dusty road, he didn't wait to assess the situation. He ran out to meet them, offered shade and bread and rest — and ended up hosting the presence of God at his table. You probably won't entertain a literal angel this week. But there is a person at the edges of your life right now — the coworker nobody's had lunch with yet, the neighbor whose name you still don't know, the one at church who stands near the back and slips out before coffee hour. This verse asks a quiet, persistent question: what if your welcome was exactly what they needed? And what might you discover about grace when you stop only opening the door to people you already know?
The writer says some people have entertained angels 'without knowing it.' What does that suggest about the nature of hospitality — does the motivation or awareness of the giver actually matter?
Think of a time when a stranger showed you unexpected kindness. What did it mean to you, and what did it reveal about the person who gave it?
In a world where safety concerns are very real, how do you discern between wise caution and the kind of fear that quietly closes you off from genuine connection?
Who in your current community — at church, at work, in your neighborhood — is on the edges right now? What has kept you from moving toward them?
Name one specific person you could extend real hospitality to this week — not a vague intention, but an actual name and a concrete plan. What would you do, and when?
Use hospitality one to another without grudging.
1 Peter 4:9
Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
Isaiah 58:7
Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.
Romans 12:13
But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
Hebrews 13:16
But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.
Leviticus 19:34
For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
Matthew 25:35
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
Matthew 25:40
And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;
Genesis 18:1
Do not neglect to extend hospitality to strangers [especially among the family of believers—being friendly, cordial, and gracious, sharing the comforts of your home and doing your part generously], for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.
AMP
Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
ESV
Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.
NASB
Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.
NIV
Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels.
NKJV
Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!
NLT
Be ready with a meal or a bed when it's needed. Why, some have extended hospitality to angels without ever knowing it!
MSG