1 Peter 4:9 9Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.
Peter continues to give directions about how to form a strong Christian community that welcomes all outsiders through the witness of an honorable and good life and grows in love for one another. Such a way of life is attractive and pleasant to be around. One way to express the love of verse 8 is through hospitality. The word hospitality is made of two parts: “love” (pilos) and “stranger” (xenos). A stranger is an outsider to a group or community. Welcoming this person into the fellowship requires accepting his or her differences. Hospitality is an expression of grace whereby love is extended no matter a person’s background. Since love is also related to holiness, particularly in this letter, the stranger should experience a higher standard of living when in fellowship with a believer, leading the stranger to experience conviction of sin and hope for a new life.
It is not always easy to offer hospitality to strangers or even friends. Hospitality requires giving from our own resources, including time, money, food, and emotional energy. Preparing the house, meal, or activity requires giving of ourselves, which is difficult when we live to please the flesh or are protective of our things. The temptation is to retreat to what makes us most comfortable, namely, to focus on our own lives. Hospitality requires stepping out of our safe selfishness. When we have an opportunity to welcome someone, if we live according to the deceived flesh and follow worldly thinking, our first response may be grumbling. We may make our hospitality conditional or grumble about having to inconvenience ourselves.
Offering aid to someone without expecting anything back is an expression of love. God’s type of love (agape, verse 8) gives without expecting anything in return. Giving is at the heart of hospitality. If we do not have a giving heart, it is difficult to show hospitality to others. There are many ways to show hospitality, depending on one’s culture and situation. Do we make hospitality too complex so that it becomes a burden to bear rather a joy to share? Are we willing to go out of our way to help those in need, even if we do not know them? In a day full of mistrust, can we still be a friend to the friendless?