http://www.patheos.

com/blogs/holywrit/2011/03/luke-5-jesus-loves-sinners-including-me/v

First, Jesus called a sinner to follow him. I think we would all agree we’re not perfect, but Matthew was a local “bad
guy” since he not only worked to collect taxes, but did so for a foreign government.

Plus, he must have had some shady friends.

When Jesus came to Matthew’s house for dinner, the local religious leaders didn’t question the menu; they
questioned motives. They simply couldn’t believe a person who loved God would share a meal with people who
didn’t.

Christ’s response is filled with irony. He responded that he had come to call sinners to repentance. The irony is that
he was explaining this to religious leaders he would later address as being some of those sinners.

So Christ didn’t sin, but he invested time in the lives of those rejected by the religious leaders of his culture. It
would be easy to just say, “Apply accordingly.” However, a point worth noting remains.

First, we would do well to figure out which character in this story most resembles us. Are we Matthew? His friends?
The religious leaders? The disciples? (There’s only one Jesus; we can’t be him.)

Each character has a different issue to address. For Matthew, it was to live out Christ’s call to new life.

For Matthew’s guests, it was to repent and follow the Master.

For the religious leaders, it was to see their own hypocrisy and Christ’s unconditional love.

For the disciples, it was a teachable moment, one in which they would experience how Jesus lived in a world filled
with darkness while shining light.

Except for Jesus, all of the characters were sinners; and so are we. The good news from Luke is that Jesus loves us
all, calls us to a changed life, and has given a new and infinitely better way to live.

http://www.gci.org/evang/evang01

Jesus' Encounter With a Despised Sinner

Matthew 9:9-17

Key text: "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.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners’ " (Matthew 9:12-
13).

Lesson objective: To understand that Jesus’ purpose and mission is centered on his redemptive work of bringing
salvation to sinners. Yet, the salvation that Jesus brings upsets the status quo and often calls for a radical break from
traditional religious norms.

Introduction
The call of Matthew
The passage before us (Matt. 9:9-13) has to do with
illustration by Alexandre Bida
Jesus’ call to a sinner named Matthew, a despised tax
collector. Matthew worked in the region of Capernaum,
where Jesus lived (4:13; 9:1). And he would have undoubtedly seen Jesus or at least heard of him before their
encounter.

Matthew was probably a customs officer at the border of Capernaum’s trade route. He was hated and despised by his
own people for being a collaborator with imperial Rome and their puppet rulers. Jewish tax collectors were a
notorious group and barred from the synagogues. They were an unscrupulous class that had bought or bribed to get
their appointments to become very wealthy. They burdened their own people with excess tax, while bribing the
wealthy and declaring less tax for them.

It is easy to see why the Pharisees were furious with Jesus’ apparent lax attitude in sharing a meal with Matthew and
his kind (sinners). After all, does not Scripture state that the righteous is not to sit with deceitful men or with the
wicked (e.g. Psalm 26:4-5)? It is amazing to see how Jesus responds the opposite of traditional norms. What the
self-righteous Pharisees did not understand, and what many churched people today do not yet grasp, is that Jesus’
redemptive activity must be thrust into center stage. When seen from this perspective, the Pharisees are left void of
their accusations. It is like telling a doctor not to get to close to the patient because he might get contaminated with
the same condition as the patient or get blood on his hands!

The next passage is linked to the previous controversy, only this time it deals with the disciples of John the Baptist
(Matthew 9:14-17). It seems that not all of John’s disciples were fully convinced that Jesus was the Christ. Yet they
were sincere, and this is probably why Jesus takes time to explain to them new changes already present on the
horizon of his redemptive mission. The disciples of John and the disciples of Moses (Pharisees) fasted on a regular
basis. The Pharisees fasted on Mondays and Thursdays, and the disciples of John apparently did, too. The Pharisees
were religious fundamentalists who sought to separate themselves from everything they deemed "worldly." John’s
disciples were most likely apocalyptic, that is, gloom and doom last-days prophets.

But Jesus’ disciples were radically different as they were filled with the presence of their Master’s joy! Who can
possibly fast when sinners are being saved? Who can separate themselves from the world when salvation is laid at
its front door? Who can preach gloom and doom when the message of salvation is good news? No, the old religious
patterns of yesterday’s old covenant will not hold the new wine of today’s new covenant gospel of Jesus.

In both the above passages, Jesus is not concerned with maintaining past shadows for ritual’s sake alone as much as
he is concerned with the reality of showing mercy by sharing the good news of God’s saving grace (9:35-38).

http://www.studymode.com/essays/Jesus-And-Sinners-668518.html

Jesus and Sinners: Analysis and Interpretation

In Jewish Society, in Jesus’ days, the Scribes and the Pharisees used to condemn the sinners. But Jesus
attitude towards sinners is surprising. Jesus preferred to spend more time with sinners than with others,
cared for and accepted them. This attitude made the Pharisees mad of Jesus. Sinners were rejected from
Jewish Society, from the Scribes and the Pharisees. Based on the stories found in the New Testament,
we can clearly notice how nicely Jesus interacts with sinners; try to save them and not to condemn
them. We’re going to see throughout the paper, how Jesus interacted with those sinners including the
woman who was guilty of fornication, the women caught in the act of adultery, and tax collectors.

As we know fornication is a sin. There was a woman who was guilty of fornication. She had had five
husbands and was now living with another man without marriage. But Jesus attitude toward this woman
was remarkable. Not only that He did not condemn her, but also he reveals that he is the Messiah to
her. (John 3:17) “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the
world through him”.
Based on the story of the woman caught in the act of adultery (see John8:3-11), we again see how Jesus
also forgave her many sins. Everyone knew about this woman in the town. Jesus also was aware of her
many sins and despite that he forgave her many times. He said that her ‘faith’ saved her. Firstly because
she’s aware of her sins and also recognized that Jesus had the authority to forgive her sins.(Luke 15:7
NIV) “I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents
than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent”.
Jesus explains himself in John 12:47: “If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge
him; for I did not come to judge the world but to...

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IN&gbv=2&safe=on

Jesus Ate with Publicans and Sinners

by Terry W. Benton

There is no doubt that Jesus was among publicans and sinners and ate with them. What was He
doing? Was he gambling with them? Was He smoking with them? Drinking intoxicating drink
with them? Cursing and laughing at dirty jokes? Was He being complicit with them as they
sinned more? One thing that we know Jesus was not doing is practicing sin with them or
“approving of those who do such things” (Romans 1:32), which would also be a sin. When Jesus
was eating with sinners it was to “call them to repentance.” Sinners that Jesus ate with were
those sinners that were looking for a better way of life and had invited Jesus to eat with them so
that they could learn from Him.

The kinds of sinners Jesus did not waste time with were sinners who were hardened in sin and
who “hated the light and would not come to the light lest their deeds be exposed” (John 3:20).
There are sinners that you cannot help. Jesus said “Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast
your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in
pieces" (Matthew 7:6).

Jesus ate with sinners, but they were not the kind of sinners that did not want to be around
someone who told them that they need to change their lives. He never forced Himself upon those
who “hated the light” and would not come to the light. As you can see, Jesus ate with sinners
who came to Him. He did not go to a house of prostitution and act like one of them. He did not
go to a saloon or pub and just fit in as “one of the boys”. He ate with those sinners that were
open to listening to His call to repentance and therefore came to Him to hear His words.

"Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and
sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said
to His disciples, "Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" When Jesus heard
that, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.
But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice.' For I did not come to call
the righteous, but sinners , to repentance" (Matthew 9:10-13).

These sinners came to Jesus and knew they were wrong and needed to straighten out their lives
and knew that Jesus would tell them the truth in a caring way. They were willing to come to the
light. These were no swine who would not appreciate His words and who would trample His
words and oppose Him.

Jesus was not being a companion with those who intended to keep sinning. Jesus was showing
His compassion for sinners who knew they were wrong and were wanting to know how He could
help them.

When Jesus ate with sinners they were never the same when He left them. They came to Him to
learn from Him and they left with clear decisions to make about their lives. He came to call
sinners to repentance. He had what they needed, and they were not offended that He called them
to repentance.

Is that what you are doing with worldly friends? Are you calling them to repentance? Or, are you
trying to just fit in with them? Paul warned that evil companionships corrupt good morals (I
Corinthians 15:33). Are you among them influencing them to be saved from sin? Or, are you
among them to fit in with them? Are you doing what they do, dressing like they dress, talking
like they talk, and acting like they act? Are they aware that you are a Christian who has left a
worldly lifestyle and are trying to get them to change too? Or, are you hiding the light under a
basket so that they are not even aware of your change and your desire for their change? If they
do not see the difference between your principles and priorities and theirs, are you there to help
change them? Or, are they changing you back to worldly standards?

It is good to be a light for people in the dark provided that you are not hiding the light. It is good
to be the salt of the earth, working among sinners to influence them for good, but if we have
become salt that has lost its savor, we become fit for nothing but to be trampled underfoot of
men (Matthew 5:13-16). We must let our light shine so that people will know that we are
servants of God with a better life and a wonderful hope. If we are trying to be like Jesus, people
will know that our lives are centered on God, and they know we want them to know our God and
come and glorify Him. They should know that God has made such a good change in our lives.
They see the difference in our morals and priorities.

Partnership or fellowship with those living in darkness and sin is not what sinners saw in Jesus or
His true followers. They saw Jesus as light of righteousness, compassionate and merciful to those
wanting and needing mercy, yet not compromising the standard of righteousness for friendship
sake. It was a pure and holy life they saw in Jesus. They did not see Him as just one of the boys.
We are the salt of the earth, to make a difference in the world for good, not to compromise God's
truth.

http://www.keyway.ca/
htm2001/20011215.htm
Publicans
 by Wayne Blank

During Bible History, publicans were "freelance" tax collectors who operated in their own towns
and districts, among their own people, for the occupying Roman government (see Ancient
Empires - Rome). There were two classes of publicans, the "chief of the publicans" such as
Zacchaeus (Luke 19:2), and the subordinate publicans who worked for them (Luke 5:27, 15:1,
18:10). As well as often being viewed as traitors, some of them were very corrupt, being little
more than extortionists, and as such they were generally hated by the public. Not all were that
bad, or remained that bad, however; Matthew, also known as Levi, one of The Twelve Apostles,
was a publican when Jesus called him.

Publicans

The original Greek word of the New Testament, pronounced tell-oh-nace is variously translated
in English-language Bibles as either publican or tax collector.

"And after these things He went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi [i.e. Matthew], sitting at
the receipt of custom: and He said unto him, Follow Me. And he left all, rose up, and followed
Him" (Luke 5:27-28 KJV) (see Matthew)

"And as Jesus passed forth from thence, He saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of
custom [see Custom and Tribute]: and He saith unto him, Follow Me. And he arose, and
followed Him. And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and
sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said
unto His disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? But when Jesus heard
that, He said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. But go
ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the
righteous, but sinners to repentance." (Matthew 9:9-13 KJV)

"And He spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous,
and despised others: Two men went up into the Temple [see "My Father's House"] to pray; the
one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I
thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this
publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing
afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying,
God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than
the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall
be exalted." (Luke 18:9-14 KJV)

"Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I
say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and
pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of
your Father which is in heaven: for He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and
sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have
ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more
than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is
in heaven is perfect." (Matthew 5:43-48 KJV) (see Forgive, And Be Forgiven)

Fact Finder: Did Jesus Christ pay taxes?