Exploring the value of hospitality through the story of Abraham and the Three Visitors.
The video
KRISSI: Hi, I'm Krissi, and this is the amazing story of Abraham and the Three Visitors.
Abraham and Sarah were very old. CLEARS THROAT
Much better. And they were living in a tent miles away from anywhere. One day, Abraham came out of the tent and saw three visitors over the hill. Who were they? What did they want? Why were they here?
Abraham didn't know, but he thought whoever they were, they must've come a long way and surely had a long way to go. He wanted to help them. The visitors looked hot and tired, so Abraham kindly invited them to rest in his tent.
Thank you.
Sarah and Abraham made their guests feel very welcome. They gave their guests food, sandwiches… Sandwiches. Get it? Sandwiches? LAUGHS
Sandwiches.
GIRL: LAUGHS
KRISSI: Eager to help his guests, Abraham offered to wash their sore feet.
The three visitors relaxed and recovered after their long journey. All the while, kind and hospitable Abraham was nearby with Sarah in case there was anything else they needed. Then, one of the visitors said, 'We have a special message for you. Abraham and Sarah, in a year's time, you will have a baby.'
Abraham was amazed. He and Sarah had always wanted a baby, but now they were surely too old.
But, do you know what? A year later, Sarah and Abraham did have a baby and they called him Isaac. Abraham realised the three visitors were messengers from God and he was very glad he'd been so hospitable to them.
Thank you for helping tell this treasure story. Some of you might've heard it before. It's in the Torah, the Quran and the Bible. We'll see you again soon.
ALL: Bye!
This story is found in the Qur’an, the Torah and the Bible. It is about Abraham, also known as Ibrahim in the Qur’an.
In the story, Abraham sees three people near his tent at the hottest part of the day. He approaches them to offer hospitality - to offer them water to wash their feet, a place to rest and some food. After they have accepted the offer of hospitality, one of the visitors says to Abraham that his wife will have a son by the same time next year. For Abraham and his wife, Sarah, this is an incredible promise, because they are old and have not been able to have children.
Duration: 3' 19"
Last words: 'We'll see you again soon! Bye!'
Video questions
- How many visitors does Abraham see at the beginning of the story? (Three)
- Do Abraham and Sarah know the visitors? (No)
- Why don't they know the visitors? (Abraham and Sarah live in a very remote location)
- What food do Sarah and Abraham make for the visitors in our story? (They make sandwiches)
- What does Abraham offer to wash? (He offers to wash the visitors' sore feet)
Teacher Notes
This video could be used to identify common features of religions and beliefs or to retell religious, spiritual and moral stories. You could replicate the three elements of hospitality shown by Abraham and Sarah to the three visitors - eg have some food and drink for the children to share, have a washing feet ‘station’ and have a comfortable place to relax (which might be in a wellbeing room or a library in your school). You could take photos of each hospitable action and use these to retell the story. Ask the children to think about why each of those things would be a good thing to offer to travellers. The children could draw a picture of the three visitors with speech bubbles imagining how the visitors might thank Abraham and Sarah for their hospitality - eg ‘Thank you for the food. We were hungry after walking so far.’
Invite a member of a local community organisation or faith group to share examples of hospitality. You might have someone involved in the langar at a gurdwara (Sikhism) or other community kitchen. Use this opportunity for the children to ask questions about how people are welcomed, what happens when visitors arrive and why the guest thinks hospitality is a good value.
Invite the class to find ways to show hospitality in school - eg if you have a class assembly planned the children could bake something in school and share it after the class assembly as a way of being hospitable to families and friends.
Curriculum Notes
This short film will be relevant for teaching KS1 Religious Education in England and Northern Ireland, the Curriculum for Wales (particularly RVE as part of Humanities), and Early and 1st Level Religious and Moral Education in Scotland.
Further resources
