A Midsummer's Reflection Series

Thursday, June 25, 2026

Meditation 25: Acts 21:8

The White Orchard, Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890), Arles, April 1888

Occasionally, when we read Scripture, we find a few words or a single verse that may at first appear to provide simply scanty information to the broader context, to the main point of the narrative, but that contain great relevance by what they might imply. Such is the case with Acts 21:8: “On the morrow we departed and came to Caesarea; and we entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him.”

Read in its broader context, this simple verse, which says very little, is just one more little trip during Paul’s much larger missionary journey. Continuing further, as we read through Acts 21:9-15, we can understand 21:8 as a brief reference included mostly as a segue to introduce us to Philip’s four daughters, who had the gift of prophecy, and beyond this, to the prophet Agabus, who made a prophecy concerning Paul.  

As we prayerfully read Scripture, however, we can come to deeper insights into the implications of even small verses such as Acts 21:8, and we can learn to draw implications from even such scanty information. Upon arriving at Caesarea, one final stop on his way to Jerusalem, Paul lodged with Philip.

Philip was known as “the evangelist” and Paul and Luke (whose presence is implied in his using “we”) “stayed with him” (21:8). This provides another passing glimpse of early Christian hospitality. Fellow Christians were passing by, through the town, and Philip opened his home to them. This generous disposition is one of the hallmarks of Christian hospitality.  

I have known Christians in our day who have opened their homes to others in need and have done so with little preparation or planning. They simply had room in their home, saw a need, and provided a warm, hospitable lodging for those passing by for a few days, or visiting with sick relatives in the area.  

O Lord, our God, help us, like Philip the evangelist, and like other Christians in our own day, be generous in opening our homes to those in need, when we are able to. Help us have a generous disposition, such that when we hear of others in need, we pray about what we can do to try to help meet those needs. 

Dr. Jeffrey Morrow, Ph.D. is a professor of theology at Franciscan University of Steubenville and the Director of the St. Paul Studies Center at the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology. He spent 15 years as a professor of theology at Seton Hall University’s Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology. In his final year in that role, Dr. Morrow worked on the Preaching as Hospitality Formation Program, writing these reflections on Scripture through a lens of hospitality. 

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