Hebrews 13:1-2 Keep on loving each other as brothers. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.

We generally think of a stranger as someone you do not know, with whom you are unfamiliar or essentially a “newcomer”. Today that person could be a transplant from any corner of the globe. The natural reaction can sometimes be to ignore the individual, but the subject is important enough for the writer of Hebrews to address it, and in this case he is speaking to believers.

If you live in city like I do, you realize that every time you set foot outside your door you become part of a mob of total strangers. In that setting, there are codes of behavior which allow for peaceful coexistence. If these codes are not practiced, mayhem can develop very quickly. In this mob however, or any other setting there is often the possibility for one on one interactions. And this is what the writer is addressing – how to treat this new person you are encountering. He is putting the onus on you to control the quality of the encounter. My goodness, this can be so intimidating, especially if the individual comes across as not being approachable.

The writer instructs us to entertain strangers. That essentially means honoring them as you would an invited guest in your home – listening to them and caring about what they need in the moment, and if at all possible, meeting that need. It also means that in new encounters we should reserve judgment on a person’s character because we do not know their history. A kind word or action can greatly affect that person’s outlook and, equally, could change the course of your life. This is why the writer refers to entertaining angels without being aware of it. Many personal success stories are the result of chance encounters. Many names come to mind when I think of individuals in Scripture who encountered angels: Sarah, Hagar, Samson’s mother, Abraham, Moses, Gideon, Mary, David and many more. Those encounters changed their lives and put them on a path to fulfill their divine destiny.

In addition to all this, in the illustration of how judgment will proceed when the Son of Man comes again in his glory, Jesus made this point “Then the King will say to those on his right, “Come you who are blessed of my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. (Matthew 25:34-36).