Please read the passage before the commentary.
Many cultures value hospitality. Often people of developing countries welcome visitors from wealthier countries with food and lodging. In ancient Israel, and in many older countries, hospitality is the law of the people. A stranger passing through an area would be invited into a citizen’s home overnight rather than have them pass the night in the town square. Sleeping in public was not considered safe.
The best would not be good enough for the stranger. Perhaps this is the mystery of the cup of cold water, that the host did not have a stove or wood for a fire to serve a hot beverage, and had only enough to give cold water. The poor man who cannot afford to serve hot drinks, like the woman who put in a few pennies into the temple treasury, does not lose his reward.
We are told to share our security with those insecure, our wealth with those without wealth, a life with those who are dying, and our comfort with those uncomfortable.
Leave a Reply