Extravagant Hospitality
Eph 3 v20 (NIV)
“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.”
This week we’ll look at some of the extravagant and unrestrained acts by Jesus, or by some of the characters he mentions in his parables; acts that are beyond our wildest expectations.
I love inviting people round for a meal. I like the preparations, choosing a menu, shopping for food, and doing the cooking. In fact, I find it even more fun to be spontaneous and rustle up a great meal from anything I happen to have in the fridge. I’ve done this for maybe ten people, but Jesus’s spontaneous hospitality is way beyond my extravagance.
Jesus loved being with people and especially eating with friends. We know that when he went to the wedding of a friend of his mother in Cana a very embarrassing situation arose. The host had misjudged the quantity of wine required for the guests. This could potentially have ruined the celebrations for the happy couple. Jesus’s mother gave her son that knowing look that says ‘Can you help?’ We read that Jesus was a little reluctant; he felt it wasn’t yet time for him to do miraculous signs, but his mother knew he could and would do something. The wonderful extravagance of Jesus was not so much that he changed many jugs of water into wine, but that the wine was the best vintage, usually served at the beginning of the festivities.
On another occasion Jesus was teaching crowds of people in a remote place near Lake Galilee. The crowd was becoming restless – it was getting late, they didn’t want to stop listening but were feeling hungry. A young boy offered his packed lunch of bread and fish, but there were 5000 families to feed! Jesus again extravagantly fed them all, with loads of food left over. No previous planning, just a longing to offer hospitality so he could continue to teach people and heal their sicknesses.
Prayer — Thank you Lord for demonstrating to us your extravagant generosity by caring for both our physical and spiritual needs. Give us the faith and trust to be used by you immeasurably more than we ask or imagine.