I am more introverted than not. The idea of inviting in a friend is hard enough. Inviting in a stranger is a really big deal. And yet Jesus puts welcoming strangers, offering hospitality, on his list of things that matter to the king: “I was a stranger and you invited me in.”

As he was telling his disciples this story, Thomas and Matthew looked at each other and said, “You mean like that guy in that one town?”

A few months before, Jesus had sent the disciples out on an internship. He paired them up and gave them instructions.

Don’t take extra supplies, he told them. Instead, just like we’ve been doing, head to a town to tell them the good news of the kingdom. When you get there, look around for someone who seems worthy, who seems like they might be hospitable. If they are, stay there while you are in the town. And if the people in the home care for you, bless them. If not, don’t. Because the work that you do and the words that you speak and the name that you carry is mine.

We don’t know any of the stories of what happened. When they got back to Jesus and were ready to tell him, they ended up in a crowd of 15,000 people listening to Jesus and being part of a feeding program. So we don’t get to eavesdrop.

But for the disciples, the idea of welcoming a stranger in the name of Jesus was deeply personal. When they were strangers themselves, that welcome had given them moments of peace in the challenge of learning to follow Jesus.

I’ll be back on Thursday with some more thoughts on this text.