Keeping Bad Company

The Pharisees were naturally outraged and scandalized by Jesus’ behavior. Here a man who was called a Rabbi was keeping table with whom the Pharisees considered was the very scum of the earth. Pharisees kep company with Pharisees, and Rabbis with other Rabbis. Why wasn’t Jesus praising them for their devotion to the Torah rather than castigating them as hypocrites.

Jesus is blunt in answering them. The cowardly Pharisees had not approached Jesus but instead had tried to plow discord among Jesus’ defiles. Jesus plainly tells them that He was called to heal sinners and not to praise the righteous. They did not understand the Scripture which said God was more interested in showing mercy than in the heartless sacrifices of those who showed no mercy. Jesus was a physician, and physicians needed to be where sick people were.

Jesus then tells what is recorded in the King James version that He did not come to “call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Although the idea of sinners repenting is certainly good theology, the majority of Greek texts do not have the words “to repentance.” It simply says that Jesus came to call sinners.

We can see what a motley collection of “sinners” Jesus had called. Simon Peter had a good heart perhaps, but was known for inserting his foot into his mouth at times. James and John were called the ”sons of thunder” who showed a lot of anger and had a conniving mother who tried to get her sons the highest seats in the kingdom. Matthew was a tax collector, Judas a thief and traitor, and another Simon belonged to the Zealots. This is a fine collection of sinners indeed. But in the Old Testament, Abraham was once an idolater, Jacob a deceiver, Judah who had twins by Tamar, Samson, and even David. And this is just a short list of sinners. And if we follow Paul’s statement, then “all have sinned and fallen short of God.” Jesus cannot call anyone but sinners if He expects flesh and blood to follow Him.

And perhaps here is a subtle message to the Pharisees. There is a prodigal who stays at home, who shows outward obedience to cover a sinner’s heart. The brother’s return from a life with sinners actually demonstrates how wrapped up in sin the older brother who stayed home was. He had no mercy on his brother and was rather put out at his return. He was outraged, in fact and did not celebrate with his father. This passage makes for a good analogy to the parable of the prodigal. The only difference is that Matthew left relative wealth to become poor for Jesus’ sake rather than the prodigal who had become financially impoverished to return to the riches of the house of Israel.

Matthew was like Zacchaeus, another tax collector. Jesus invited himself that time to a feast at Zacchaeus’ house. There he wee little man says he gives half his goods to the poor and would repay fourfold anyone he had defrauded. He meant it. And if you considered how many people he would have defrauded in collecting taxes, it would have left Zacchaeus bankrupt. But He had a far greater consolation. Jesus now numbered Him among the children of Israel. Matthew like Zacchaeus was also a sinner come home.