Why Does He Eat with Sinners?

Jesus was famous for his table fellowship. Perhaps the most famous picture of Jesus is Leonardo Da Vinci’s The Last Supper. In that painting Jesus is eating with his friends, his disciples, in the Upper Room before his trip to pray in Gethsemane and his arrest by the Temple guard.

A lot of things got Jesus into trouble with the religious rulers and teachers of the law. But nothing was more perplexing or maddening to them than how he treated “sinners.” He loved them! And this drove them crazy because the religious leaders despised and avoided them. It was a stark contrast between them and Jesus and one they simply could not process. And it made them hostile toward Jesus. 

“Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, 'This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.' This response of Jesus is the story of the 100 sheep, one of whom went astray." - Luke 15:1-2

He follows that with the story of the lost coin, and finally the Prodigal Son.

“The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.'” - Luke 7:34

"When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, 'If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.'” - Luke 7:39

She is described as one “who had lived a sinful life” (hamartolos) in Luke 7:37, and she anointed the feet of Jesus with an alabaster jar of perfume. She was likely a famous prostitute in that city who had come to faith and forgiveness through the preaching of Jesus. Traditionally she was thought to be Mary Magdalene, but there is no clear evidence in the text to back up that supposition.

"A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. 'Give glory to God by telling the truth,' they said. 'We know this man is a sinner.'" - John 9:24

What kind of activity would account for the use of this word “sinner” to describe a human being? “Oh, yeah, John, he’s a sinner.” Instead of saying, “He’s a good man” or “she’s a good woman” you would say that he or she is “a sinner.”

There are two occupations that we know of in the New Testament where this term is used to describe those engaged in it. The first is tax collectors and the second is prostitutes.

"Jesus said to them, 'Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.'" - Matthew 21:31-32

We can fairly say that tax collectors and prostitutes are consensus sinners in Israel in the time of Jesus. 

Jesus was unconventional in how he practiced his faith. He did not follow the conventions of his day. 

This Is A Real Meal:

“Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” - Mark 2:16

We eat with people that we know and love usually, people with whom we are comfortable. The family gatherings are precious to us because of this truth. And the sharing of the Lord’s Supper is also a truly blessed moment because we are in the company of friends whom we love and who love us.

We hesitate to eat with people who make us uncomfortable, whose customs or ideas are foreign to us. 

• Jesus insists that the body of believers practice unity, including sharing food together. This has been the rule in the church of Jesus Christ since the First Century. The Jews in the church finally realized that Gentiles were just as much a part of the church as they were and that trying to make Gentiles more like Jews did not make them more like Jesus.

• Jesus gave us this table around which we gather because he wants us to be in close fellowship, tight friendship. He wants us to treat each as family.

• We do not know who will be next to us when we sit in these pews. We may be beside a stranger. That is okay. We are to serve one another as brothers and sisters in this family without discriminating in regard to social or economic or ethnic categories. We are one in Christ.

Table fellowship with scandalous sinners make clear that Christ had come with a message for us all, even those who were deepest in the bondage of sin.

These Are Real Sinners:

"I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown." - Luke 7:45-47

I was deeply disturbed to read in a commentary years ago that the woman of the streets who washed the Lord’s feet with her tears could not have been Mary Magdalene because he would never have allowed a prostitute to be in the inner circle of his life.

Well, Jesus invited a tax collector into the inner circle of his life. He called Matthew while he was sitting in that unholy seat of theft, avarice, and compromise, while he was sitting at the table where the coins lay that he wrung from an oppressed and poor people. He became one of the Twelve, and his name is on the first gospel. Matthew was ready to abandon that life, and he leapt out of that seat and ran from that table into the arms of Jesus.

And this sinful woman did the same. Jesus loved her and gave her the good news, and she responded with repentance and love. In so doing, she secured for herself a first-class seat at the table in heaven, along with Matthew, and access to all that Christ bought for us at Calvary.

A former prostitute or thief or even murderer, as the Apostle Paul, self-identifies, is not a second-class church member in any generation including the first one or the current one. All of us sinners have first-class citizenship in the kingdom of God through the cross of Christ.

There is no point in minimizes the sinfulness of the people who responded to Jesus and the gospel. Not only did very sinful people seek Christ and repent of their sins, but they have always done so through the whole history of Christianity.

“Can God save a murderer?” I was asked one day by a murderer locked up in prison. How would you answer such a question? 

The only answer to such a question is “Yes! Yes! Yes!” And the reason this answer is immediate and without reservation is because of those first followers of Jesus—Matthew, Paul, and this unnamed harlot in our text.

This Is Real Love:

“This man welcomes sinners and eats with them” - Luke 15:2

Jesus really loves these sinners.

• He enjoys their company. He spends time with them.

• He is excited to share a meal with them. He eats and drinks from the same cup and the same loaf as they do.

• He welcomes them into his inner circle, as Matthew shows. 

Remember this parallel truth: these sinners really love Jesus. The woman washing his feet is not pretending. Matthew and Zacchaeus are thrilled to be received by the Savior, and they respond with true repentance and love.

• They love to be at the table with him. They love to talk with him and listen to him.

• Jesus is relaxed and himself in the company of sinners.

Remember, we are all sinners. So this is really good news for everyone in this room. The church of Jesus Christ is made up completely of sinners who have repented and trusted Christ.

• In fact, calling sinners is the reason that Jesus came to this earth. “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

• A sinner wrote, "My Jesus, I love thee. I know thou art mine. For thee all the follies of sin I resign. My gracious Redeemer, My Savior art thou. If ever I loved thee, My Jesus tis now."

This Is True Salvation:

“Your faith has saved you; go in peace” - Luke 7:50

A Tax Collector named Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus: "Jesus said to him, 'Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.'” - Luke 19:9-10

An Unnamed Prostitute who washed Jesus’ feet with her tears: "Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, 'Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.' Then Jesus said to her, 'Your sins are forgiven.' The other guests began to say among themselves, 'Who is this who even forgives sins?' Jesus said to the woman, 'Your faith has saved you; go in peace.'" - Luke 7:45-50.