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“As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office, and he said to him, ‘Follow me,’ so he got up and followed him. While he was reclining at the table in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came as guests to eat with Jesus and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked His disciples, ‘Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ But when He heard this, He said, ‘Those who are well do not need a doctor, but the sick do. Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice. For I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners.’” (Matthew 9:9–13)
For Jesus to call Matthew, a tax collector, was a big deal. In Jesus’ time, tax collectors were viewed as traitors, Jews who had turned against their own people to help the Romans with their continued oppression. They often became rich by overtaxing the Jews and taking the money for themselves. Tax collectors were reviled by the Jews. They weren’t welcome anywhere or by anyone. Not only did calling Matthew not go over well with the other disciples, it definitely did not go over well with the Pharisees. Once Jesus called Matthew and he accepted, they gathered at his home for a dinner party. This was where the Pharisees found them and made their objections known. “While he was reclining at the table in the house, many tax collectors and…
