He Ate with Publicans and Sinners – Part 1
One of the criticisms that Jesus enemies often employed was that He ate with the publicans and sinners. We find this criticism recorded for us in the following passages: Matthew 9:10, 11; 11:19; Mark 2:15, 16; Luke 5:30, 7:34, 15:1. Jesus associated with these people to teach them the gospel. The Pharisees, however, had strict prohibitions against associating with certain people. They labeled them and forbade others to have relationships with them. These people included publicans, harlots, Samaritans, sinners, and gentiles.
Publicans were the tax collectors of the day. They associated with Romans and collected their taxes from the Jews. Their frequent association with gentiles made them off-limits to the faithful Jew. Some publicans also extorted more money than the government required. John the baptizer told them to repent of this practice (Luke 3:12, 13).
Samaritans were half-blood Jews and that made them impure in the mind of the Pharisees. They were descended from the Israelites who were left behind after the Babylonian captivity. They married pagans and intermingled with them. This violated God’s requirements under the Old Law regarding marriage (Deut.7:3; Ezra 10:2).
The harlots were prostitutes. They sold their bodies for money. The Pharisees did not associate with them. They wanted to maintain their reputation of righteousness.
Sinners is a broader term that refers to people that the Pharisees would not associate. These may have been adulterers, thieves, or even other harlots and publicans. It was an all-inclusive category. Why did Jesus associate with these people? We will answer that question in next week’s bulletin.
God bless you, and I love you.
Kevin Cauley