Tax Collectors and Sinners

Matthew 9: 10-13:  As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples.  When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”  On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.  But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’[a] For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Jesus had been having dinner with Matthew, one of the men he had called to be his disciples. As the verses above say, “tax collectors and sinners” were there and actually shared a meal with Jesus! The Pharisees (the religious-political party during New Testament times) were so shocked by this that they asked Jesus’ disciples why he was eating with tax collectors and sinners.

But Jesus heard them and he told them exactly why. Jesus knew they were sinners, and he chose to be with them. Why? Because Jesus came to save those who were lost. He told the Pharisees that he came to call sinners. It isn’t the healthy that need a doctor. Those who are sick need the doctor. Sinners needed Jesus.

In order to help the sinners, Jesus spent time with them. In Matthew 6, we learn that if we are to help people learn about Jesus, we need to spend time with them. Jesus said that even tax collectors love those who love them. He said to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. He was telling us that we can’t just spend time with people we like or love, and we can’t spend time with just other believers. Since the great commandment is to go and tell others about Jesus, then we must spend time with those who don't know Him. Even if they are people we don’t enjoy, treat us in ways we don’t like, talk in ways we don’t agree with. Remember that we are not better than non-believers.  Jesus loved us with an unbelievable love when we were unlovable.  Because we love Jesus, we need to love those he loves.  Remember, Jesus said it isn’t the well who need a doctor - - -