And as he reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, ‘Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.
‘Tax collectors and sinners’ is a kind of umbrella term for those who failed to live by the Jewish religious laws. We have noted how Levi the tax collector would have been viewed by his Jewish contemporaries. And the word ‘sinners’ probably refers to those caught in public sins such as prostitution.
It’s striking, then, that Jesus eats with such people. Eating together, in our culture at least, does not strictly denote familiarity or an easiness of company. A shared meal can be a formal occasion where words are not readily shared. To recline together, though – as they did in ancient times – was to enjoy a close bond and fellowship. Thus, Mark is in effect saying that Jesus used to love sitting around spending quality time with tax collectors and sinners.
The scribes of the Pharisees, legally minded as they were, predictably take issue here. Jesus – clearly a kind of devout Jew – simply shouldn’t be associating with such people. Doing so set a bad example, especially to children, and risked serious moral corruption. As such, the scribes’ mutterings are not really sincere: they don’t ask Jesus directly, but instead question the wisdom of Jesus’ actions between themselves, no doubt with undisguised tones of disapproval.
Jesus’ response is deliberately ironic. If anyone thinks himself righteous, as the scribes do, then they have no need of Jesus and his company. But the truth is that everyone is a sinner (scribes included) and everyone needs him. The result is a direct challenge to his opponents: recognise your need for me and stay; or leave and let me get on with the work to which I have been called.
Finally, that Jesus calls himself a ‘physician’ brings to mind his healing power. Earlier in Mark’s Gospel Jesus has performed instantaneous and miraculous healings, either of physical ailments or demon possession. Now, however, he displays his more ordinary method of healing: sitting down with people, befriending them and teaching them. If the Church is to have Christ as its model, and bring healing to the world, this is surely a means of grace that we shouldn’t underestimate.