Matthew 9:11 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? (KJV)

Matthew 9:11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, “Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?” (NASB)

First, my appreciation for The Chosen is huge. They are telling the Gospels in story form and have done a great job of weaving things together. Several years ago, I started looking at Kingdom; I chose Matthew to be my go-to Book because of the number of times he used the phrase kingdom of God/Heaven. Then I noticed how these fit in with his references to John the Baptist. So, if you take Matthew’s chronology, he may have been the last disciple called and he was not always there from Chapters 4 to 9. Like Brother Luke he had some studying to do, and like Brother John not every detail in those years of ministry is covered.

Chapter 9 is in the center of a very busy ministry time for Jesus before He sends the Twelve out on their first mission trip. Jesus healed two men in the Gadarenes, made Pharisees mad by forgiving sins and healing a paralytic, called Matthew, and His feasting frustrated Pharisees, then Jesus took questions from John’s disciples about fasting; all of this was before He healed two women.   

Back to the feast that He fearlessly attended to infuriate Pharisees. In the Pharisees minds the attendees were human flotsam, but there were still Jews in attendance. Most translations use tax collectors and sinners, some paraphrases use more edgy terms. The sinners may have been Gentiles, but the tax collectors were probably Jews that were educated and spoke more than one language. (They did have to keep records and talk to the Romans.) The practical and metaphorical references to food stuffs, drinks, meals, and feasting are extensive in the Gospels and the rest of the Bible. (This is a good homework assignment.)

To eat with someone was a BIG deal in first century Galilee and Judah. Jesus had a meal with 5,000 Hebrews, 4,000 Hebrews and Gentiles, He ate with Pharisees, in Luke 19 He ate with Zacchaeus, and in John 12 He ate with Lazarus. Jesus ate His last meal with His disciples before Passover and gave a sop to Judas Iscariot. Don’t forget about the unproductive fig tree. I feel it is a good idea to view this feast as Matthew’s going away party and an evangelism outreach. Paul picked up on that thought and knew you could eat with someone and not sink in your relationship with Jesus. Not everyone is as free as he was; plus, it is hard to evangelize people if you are never around them. To give a hungry person food is great, but taking time to eat with them would be better.

Jesus’ mission statement in verses 12 and 13 are clear. He came for the sick, He gave mercy, and called sinners to come to Him. Amen and Amen!

Father God has a sense of humor and gave me an intensify study session on food; my last three Bible 911’s (Judges, Leviticus, and 1 Corinthians) have a food connection. The last two deal with sacrifice, God’s workers, and the righteous (fellowship) meal we are to partake-in with Him.

Strong’s Greek: 2068. ἐσθίω (esthió) — To eat, consume

Matthew 9:11 Greek Text Analysis