Matthew 9:10, commentary and pictures

Jesus sat at meat in Matthew's house, also called Levi, at the feast he made to honor Christ's call, where many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples who were present with him at the table. The publicans were tax collectors hated as agents of Roman rule and despised as extortioners and traitors, a rejected class to which Matthew himself had belonged. His sharing the meal was mercy toward sinners to call them to repentance, the work of a physician among the sick who came not to call the righteous but sinners, requiring mercy and not sacrifice. Sitting as an honored guest he showed sympathy and social kindness that affirmed their dignity and awakened longing for new life, and his words fell with life-giving power, yet he mingled and ate without adopting their low habits or being tainted in the least. Eating with them offended the scribes and Pharisees, who accused him by asking why he eats with publicans and sinners, misinterpreting the holy feast as evil association. His example teaches believers not to shun others or withdraw from social contact but to mingle and meet them where they are in homes and at tables to reach souls, without joining in conduct that identifies them with unbelievers, and many at that table felt their need of pardon and accepted him as Redeemer.

Setting and Company

The meal was a feast in the house of Matthew, also called Levi, which he made to honor Christ's call. As soon as his heart was opened he opened his house to take Jesus home, arranging the gathering so that his friends, relatives and neighbors could meet Jesus and hear His teaching. Invitations of this kind were never refused, because there questions could be asked and answered to diffuse light, seeds of truth could be sown in human hearts that would respond in time, and the work of a physician seeking the sick could be done by going into busy places to find souls needing a Saviour and to show sinners their true condition. The same occasion gave the scribes and Pharisees opportunity to seek grounds for condemnation, yet the invitation was honored despite religious prejudice against associating with such company.

Many publicans and sinners came and sat down with Jesus at meat, and His disciples were present with Him at the table. His willing fellowship with those regarded as sinners expressed mercy toward them and His purpose of calling them to repentance. His presence at the meal was no failure to take spiritual matters seriously, though mourners misunderstood His purpose and condemned His practice because He did not follow their pattern of fasting.

The publicans were tax collectors, hated as agents of Roman rule and often despised as extortioners and traitors to their nation. They formed a rejected class to which Matthew himself had belonged before Jesus called him to follow.

The eating took place while John's disciples were mourning and fasting because John was in prison. It belonged to the time when the bridegroom was present with His disciples, when mourning and fasting were not appropriate. That hour was for catching light from Jesus and learning the spiritual nature of His kingdom and the grace of His character, to prepare them to work when He would be taken away. The contrast led John's disciples to think He needed to reform His practice to do as John did, and by misinterpreting His purpose in eating with sinners they united with the Pharisees in condemning Him and sided with them in criticism.

Mission to Sinners

Sitting at meat with many tax collectors and sinners who came and sat with Him and His disciples expresses mercy toward sinners and the purpose of calling them to repentance. His welcome shows He did not exclude them on account of their sinful or social standing, but reached those who needed spiritual healing and was willing to be with them in order to call them. His presence among them was the work of a physician among the sick, for those who are whole do not need a physician but those who are sick do. God requires mercy and not sacrifice, and He came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance, to seek and heal those needing forgiveness and pardon.

The feast shows a turning from His own nation to those who would hear, because His own nation refused His healing for the wounds of sin and trampled His teachings and mighty works. Like His fasting in the wilderness, His eating with publicans was a giving of His life for their salvation and for redemption of the lost. True devotion is therefore not mere fasting, bodily hardship, or outward religious forms, but surrender of self in willing service to God and others.

Manner Among Outcasts

Sitting as an honored guest at the table He showed sympathy and social kindness, treating the outcasts themselves as honored guests, recognizing the dignity of humanity in them, and awakening in them a longing to become worthy of His confidence. His words fell upon their thirsty souls with blessed, life-giving power, stirring new impulses in their hearts. For people cast out by society this opened the possibility of a new life, and for some it was their first hearing of the truth.

He mingled with them and ate with them without adopting their low habits, earthly ways, character or spirit, and without being tainted or corrupted in the least by their society or conversation. His purpose was not to become low and earthly with them nor to share in their luxuries, amusement or feasting, but to present right principles by precept and example and to lift them up from low habits, earthliness, degradation and harmful manners. He welcomed people from every class and mingled with ordinary people, ignoring society's distinctions of birth, wealth, learning and rank. This loving-kindness that drew the despised to Him stands in contrast to approving those who in self-esteem keep apart and look down on others, and His generous mercy in meeting people where they were was not worldly conformity but stood opposed to self-righteous judgment.

He came to sow the seeds of truth in human hearts and to let the light of truth shine through His godly character, scattering precious gems of truth while sitting at their table. The jewels of truth that fell from His lips remained in their hearts, and though they might not yield at once to the influence of the Spirit they were affected and kept drawn until they would finally yield. That seed sprang up after His resurrection and ascension under the teaching of the apostles, when five thousand were converted in one day.

Opposition and Accusation

Sharing the table with tax collectors and outcasts struck directly against the prejudices and traditions of the scribes and Pharisees, and they seized upon that fellowship to accuse Him by demanding of His disciples why their Master eats with publicans and sinners. On that occasion John's disciples sided with the Pharisees in the criticism. Though the critics rejected His teachings, they recognized His influence and directed their complaint against His disciples for sharing the meal with such people.

The charge was scandal, reproach, and falsehood, coming from watching spies whose hearts were not open to conviction but were filled with hatred, bitter prejudice, and wrath. It is the same accusation that men today bring against God's commandment-keeping people.

The jealous, self-righteous critics misinterpreted the holy feast and charged Him with immorality, impiety, and evil association. Not daring to complain to Him after His rebukes, they carried their complaints to His disciples in order to create prejudice and unbelief. The disciples rightly ignored them.

John's disciples and other mourners misunderstood His purpose and condemned His practice because He did not follow their pattern of fasting. Because they misinterpreted His purpose in eating with sinners they united with the Pharisees in condemning Him, thinking He needed to reform His practice to do as John did. His presence at the meal was not a failure to take spiritual matters seriously.

Those despised sinners who received Him will be gathered into His kingdom when He comes in His glory. The fasting, hypocritical, and unbelieving Pharisees who scorned them will share the portion of hypocrites and unbelievers and face judgment.

Fruit of the Feast

At the table he spoke words of life to those gathered, and many accepted him as their Redeemer. The guests felt their need of repentance and pardon and were receptive to his teaching. Those who felt their need of pardon proved more ready to receive truth than the religious leaders who scorned them.

Some who attended and listened became instruments of enlightenment to others. Some thus received their first hearing of the truth at the feast and later became gospel messengers. Matthew himself was changed from a despised publican into a devoted evangelist with an unselfish heart drawn out for souls needing light. He did not repulse sinners by magnifying his own piety against their sinfulness, but linked them to himself through kindly sympathy while presenting the gospel, and his labors had marked success.

His fellowship offered tender, forgiving encouragement and wise guidance to people in error whom religious leaders would not encourage. In that fellowship he met the soul's deepest needs, upheld truth with wise words, and turned minds toward eternal realities. Those who are troubled and in need of guidance are therefore to be met with such love and not pushed away.

Pattern for Believers

Christ's sitting at meat with publicans and sinners shows that his followers are not to shun their fellow people or withdraw from social contact, but to seek their company in order to share the spiritual blessings received. Reaching people means meeting them where they are, in homes and at hospitable tables, mingling with them so as to turn their thoughts to matters of eternal importance rather than refusing their company. His sympathies were identified with suffering humanity, reaching the sinful, helpless and needy where they were and making their necessities his own. Those whose unpopular faith separates them from the world must therefore not place themselves in sympathies and views so far from the world that they cannot reach souls, nor close the door of access to souls by judging other men's consciences and binding exacting burdens that God does not bind.

Doing good among unbelievers is to be done without joining them in plans or conduct that would identify believers with them. He associated with publicans and sinners without adopting their character or spirit, so that through his words he could sow truth, lead them to become one with him, and bring them toward the light. He did not eat with them to share in their luxuries, amusement or feasting, but to diffuse precious gems of truth and scatter them while sitting at their table, jewels that remained in their hearts and, though not yielding at once, would finally yield as he keeps drawing them. His followers are thus to go among the needy and sinful to diffuse light, speak words of kindness, and show his love, tenderness and compassion rather than joining the practices of the world.

Friendly social gatherings and meals with people who are not religious are opportunities to speak in a way different from the usual conversation there, bringing life and teaching lessons suited to the hearers. His example is to continually sow the seed of life in words that take root in the soil of the heart, with speech that recommends Christ. At the dining table words are to be kept clean and pure rather than common, low, cheap chit-chat, jesting and joking, so that the Holy Spirit and angels can be present, good things come forth from the treasure house of the heart, light is reflected, and impressions are made on minds.

His eating with publicans and sinners and mingling with ordinary people was not to adopt their low habits or become low and earthly with them, but to teach right principles by word and example and by precept and example, and to lift them from earthliness, degradation, low habits and manners and harmful habits. In that fellowship he ignored society's distinctions of birth, wealth, learning and rank, welcoming people from every class. That welcome of all classes supports receiving all classes into sanitariums and laboring for the poor and suffering. As soon as he opened Matthew's heart, Matthew dropped his former occupation, entered his service, and opened his house as a home for Jesus. This opening of heart and house is the proof of God's good work to be manifested by all who are converted, taking Jesus home into hearts and houses and presenting him to neighbors, letting families and children see the sweet grace of Christ at work in the heart and exemplified in the character, letting the efficacy of his blood avail and his righteousness become personal righteousness, and bearing a living testimony of what he has done for the soul.

His presence among them, welcoming them into his company so they could receive his blessings and learn his character, was generous mercy and not worldly conformity. He mingled with people of every class and entered homes when invited, using such occasions to reveal the contrast between his generous mercy and life and the Pharisees' bigotry, self-righteous judgment and ways. His example shows that religious service must not become self-righteous withdrawal from others, and that helping people requires meeting them where they are so they may have opportunity to know him.