by Barbie Fischer
Rahab is often referred to in scripture as a harlot. Yet, she is the great grandmother of King David, a man after God’s own heart, and is one of five woman mentioned by Matthew in the lineage of Jesus Christ, God’s own son. Even though she is known as a harlot, she is also mentioned in Hebrews among the faithful. How could this be? In the story of Rahab documented in the book of Jeremiah, we see that Rahab’s faith led to great hospitality, leading to a victory for Jeremiah and the Israelites over the land of Jericho. The story of Rahab is a reminder that we are all sinners (Romans 3:23), yet our faith in Christ as seen in our actions, such as hospitality, saves us. After all, James 2:17 says, “even so faith, if it has no works, is dead.”
Joshua told the spies to go view the land, especially Jericho. “So they went, and came to the house of a harlot named Rahab, and lodged there” (Joshua 2:1). Large houses near the city gates would often serve as the city hotel for traveling caravans. Rahab and her family operated one of these inns right on the wall where travelers would pass. Many of these establishments had a little extra emphasis on the “bed” available for the right price. Most likely this is how Rahab got her title of harlot.
Rahab would have known of the Israelites as they could be seen across the river from Jericho in their camp. She may have heard how they miraculously escaped from Egypt and the people of Jericho knew of how the Israelites has conquered other nations. Thus Rahab and others in Jericho knew the Israelites were most likely coming to destroy Jericho.
Rahab, knowing all she does of Israel, not only welcomed the Israelite spies — she risked her life and that of her family by hiding them on her roof when the King’s army came calling for them (Joshua 2:2-7). Joshua 2:8 clearly shows that Rahab offered hospitality at the risk of her life because she believes in the Lord, stating that she knows the Lord has delivered Jericho to the Israelites. She believed. She had faith. She not only offered hospitality because of this — she risked her life.
How many times have Christians judged someone like Rahab. Someone living a life we may disagree with and claiming that they must not be a believer? Could it be that in fact they do believe but need some more discipleship, like Rahab? Yet as Christians do we invest in getting to know these people whose lifestyles are different than our own, strangers to us, or do we offer them hospitality?
The Israelites’ lifestyles were different than Rahab’s; they were strangers to her, yet Rahab offered them hospitality and they accepted it. Her life led to that of King David and Jesus Christ our Lord. Perhaps, we should not write off those different from us so quickly. Perhaps we should offer and accept hospitality from them. After all, we are all sinners (Romans 3:23) and we are all God’s creation (Colossians 1:16).
Ed Silvoso, of the 
These stories caution us that yes, some of us are too busy for heaven. Too busy to come to the wedding feast the Lord has prepared for us. They show us also that while it is comfortable for us to invite our friends and family and “rich neighbors” to a dinner, we are called to go beyond that. We are called to invite all people just as they are, that they may come to the feast and get to know the Lord. As Christians, these stories are cautionary tales and a call to go beyond the comfortable.
In our last edition, we began our series on hospitality and took a look at Abraham and Sarah welcoming three strangers in Genesis 18: 1-8 in the article 
It can slow us down to stop and acknowledge that a person is speaking to us, even more so if we try to be hospitable and offer assistance; yet as God’s children are we not called to love our brothers and sisters? Even if right now they are strangers to us?
I’ve been in a lot of meetings where there’s discussion about decline in the church. But every time I hear it, I think about the churches I work alongside. While I know numbers are down in a lot of places, that is not the reality in most of Franconia Conference churches in Allentown and Philadelphia. In South Philadelphia alone, among three conference churches we have 500 members, almost 10% of the conference. This past Sunday I spent the day visiting these congregation.
And amazingly, yes, we did. I sat down with my sister in Christ, the social worker, the boyfriend, and the grandmother and we worked out a schedule of care that included having me sleeping on the living room floor several nights a week so the children could stay in their own home overnight. The boyfriend covered the nights that he wasn’t working, and the grandmother covered afternoons and early evenings. We signed the children up for half day summer camp at the program where I worked. Church members planned special trips to the park, to their houses, and the zoo for the weekends and picked the children and their grandmother up for church on Sundays. There were offers to help buy groceries, prepare meals, and provide transportation. The whole team supported the core figure, the grandmother, as best as we could for three weeks.
“Now the Lord appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, while he was sitting at the tent door in the heat of the day. 2 When he lifted up his eyes and looked, behold, three men were standing opposite him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth, 3 and said, “My Lord, if now I have found favor in Your sight, please do not pass Your servant by. 4 Please let a little water be brought and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree; 5 and I will bring a piece of bread, that you may refresh yourselves; after that you may go on, since you have visited your servant.” And they said, “So do, as you have said.” 6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah, and said, “Quickly, prepare three measures of fine flour, knead it and make bread cakes.” 7 Abraham also ran to the herd, and took a tender and choice calf and gave it to the servant, and he hurried to prepare it. 8 He took curds and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and placed it before them; and he was standing by them under the tree as they ate.”
My 4-year-old daughter invited me to join her picnic, complete with plastic fruit. I looked at the stuffed animal guests, “Wow, you have very different friends. Aren’t you afraid the bear will eat the dogs or the dogs will eat the cats?” She patiently responded, “No Mommy. That is not going to happen because Jesus is with us.” She pointed to a doll wrapped in white lying on the edge of the picnic blanket. “See?”