Mark 2:16, commentary and pictures

At Matthew's own house he prepared a feast in Jesus' honor so his friends and relatives could meet Him, and Jesus with His disciples attended as invited guests and shared the table with many publicans and others regarded as sinners. The publicans were hated as agents of Roman oppression and as extortioners enriching themselves, so a Jew who took the office was despised as a betrayer of his nation and ranked with the vilest of society, while the enviously watching scribes and Pharisees seized the meal as a chance to condemn Him and aimed their contemptuous question at His disciples to turn them against Him. Jesus Himself answered that the well need no physician but the sick, for He came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance and must go among those who most need forgiving mercy and pitying love. Sitting as an honored guest He recognized their human dignity with sympathy and social kindliness, and He ate with them deliberately so His godly character and wise, searching words could awaken new impulses, satisfy the soul's inmost longings, and open to these thirsty, sin-sick outcasts the possibility of a new life. His course calls His followers not to withdraw in pride or adopt low habits, but to meet people of all classes where they are, show tender forgiving love to the erring, and make every word among the unconverted an opportunity to teach right principles and commend Christ.

Setting and Accusation

Mark 2:16 belongs to the Levi-Matthew narrative in Mark 2:14-22, set among townspeople in a town street. It takes place at a feast Matthew prepared at his own house in Jesus' honor to give his friends and relatives an opportunity to meet Him. Those gathered included Matthew's friends and relatives with a number of publicans among them. Jesus with His disciples accepted the invitation and graced the banquet with His presence as the invited guest.

The publicans were the most hated Roman officials in Palestine, their foreign-imposed taxes constantly reminding Jews that independence was gone. They were not only instruments of Roman oppression but extortioners enriching themselves at the people's expense. A Jew who took the office was counted as betraying his nation's honor, despised as an apostate and ranked with the vilest of society.

The scribes and Pharisees were enviously watching and following Jesus' movements and seized this eating together as an opportunity to condemn His cause. With bitter contempt they asked why He eats with publicans and sinners at the house where many publicans and sinners sat with Him and His disciples. They were highly indignant that one who called Himself a Jew should mingle and eat with publicans and sinners, and openly attacked and accused the disciples because of it. Their anger knew no bounds that in calling Matthew to follow Him He thus honored a hated publican, and they were chagrined that by His example He ignored their prejudices and traditions though they could not shut their eyes to His great influence over the people. They aimed the question through His disciples in hopes of turning them against Him, reflecting their view that they were spiritually well while publicans and sinners needed help. Their objection revealed criticism of His welcome to people they regarded as sinful.

The objection judged Matthew by his employment, while Jesus looked past the employment to a heart open for the reception of truth. That heart had listened to His teaching, had its sinfulness revealed by the convicting Spirit of God, and longed to seek help from Christ. Yet he expected rejection because he was accustomed to the exclusiveness of the rabbis and had no thought that this great Teacher would notice him.

Christ's Mission to Sinners

Mark 2:16 belongs to the record of Christ's ministry to people seeking help for their spiritual and physical needs, showing Him as the great Medical Missionary and offering lessons about His ministry of healing. The scribes and Pharisees objected to His eating with publicans and sinners, criticizing His welcome to people they regarded as sinful. They aimed their envious accusation through His disciples in hopes of turning them against Him, and their question reflected their own view that they were spiritually well while publicans and sinners needed help. He did not wait for the disciples to answer the scornful charge but answered Himself that the whole need no physician but the sick. His presence among them served His mission to call sinners to repentance and to save those who recognize themselves as sinners, for His work to save the sin-sick soul requires going among those who most need forgiving mercy and pitying love, and His course fulfills mercy and not sacrifice, because He came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.

Sitting as an honored guest at the publicans' table, His sympathy, social kindliness and kind manner showed that He recognized their human dignity. His fellowship made these outcasts of society long to become worthy of His confidence. His words fell upon their thirsty souls with blessed, life-giving power, awakened new impulses, and opened to them the possibility of a new life.

He ate with them deliberately and purposefully so He might speak and act to teach them. His purpose was to speak words of encouragement to erring men that the priests and rulers were not willing to speak, to satisfy the inmost longings of the soul, and to help sore-troubled ones who needed guidance and encouragement. He let truth shine through His godly character, which stood in clear contrast to the religious leaders who neglected their work. He met people where they were so He could sow truth among those willing to admit they were sinners, with truth later bearing fruit through the apostles' teaching. His words were always spoken with wisdom and always exalted the truth, presenting principles that searched the recesses of the hearts of those who listened, reaching the diseased imagination and drawing the mind out after eternal realities.

The publicans and sinners, though stained with guilt and apparently disregarding religious rites, felt their need of repentance and pardon and were better fitted to become sincere Christians than the Pharisees and priests who scorned them, many possessing noble integrity that would not reject truth. His eating with them shows Heaven's mission to relieve just such want, and His turning from His own nation who refused His aid and trampled His teachings to those who would hear. This was seen when Matthew and many who sat at that feast listened and became instruments of enlightenment.

Pattern for Believers

Eating and mingling with tax collectors and sinners and with common people was no adoption of their low habits, but a lifting of them by teaching right principles by word and by example. His course was deliberate and purposeful, that He might speak and act to instruct them. He did it in order to speak words of encouragement to erring men that the priests and rulers were unwilling to speak, to satisfy the inmost longings of the soul, and to help sore-troubled ones who needed guidance and encouragement.

His example calls His followers not to withdraw from people of other social classes in pride but to reach them. It calls them to show tender, forgiving love in dealing with the erring, with words always spoken in wisdom and always exalting the truth. It calls them to meet people where they are so as to sow truth among those willing to admit they are sinners, letting truth shine through a godly character in clear contrast to religious leaders who neglect their work, with the truth afterward bearing fruit through the apostles' teaching. It makes every word spoken among the unconverted an opportunity to commend Christ, presenting principles that search the recesses of listening hearts, reach the diseased imagination, and draw the mind out after eternal realities.