“13 Then Jesus went out again beside the sea. The whole crowd was coming to Him, and He taught them. 14 Then, moving on, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office, and He said to him, “Follow Me!” So he got up and followed Him.

15 While He was reclining at the table in Levis house, many tax collectors and sinners were also guests with Jesus and His disciples, because there were many who were following Him. 16 When the scribes of the Pharisees saw that He was eating with sinners and tax collectors, they asked His disciples, “Why does He eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
17 When Jesus heard this, He told them, “Those who are well don’t need a doctor, but the sick do need one. I didnt come to call the righteous, but sinners.””
Mark 2:13-17
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So, everyone is sick. We are all affected by sin. But it is really hard to convince someone who thinks they’re holy that they’re not, that they’re no different than anybody else. The self-righteous are inherently stubborn, prideful and so focused on what wrongs others are doing that they have almost forgotten how to look inside themselves.

Now, there is a chance, a slight chance, that by seeing Jesus eating with ‘sinners’ that the Scribes and Pharisees would see a man who apparently knows Scripture better than anyone else seems to, who teaches with an authority that no one else wields, that is they saw Him eating with sinners and doing things so differently than them, that their curiosity would at least be piqued and they would begin to examine again what they thought they no longer needed to examine. But that was a slim chance, again, self-righteous people are hard to convince of anything. Pride is such a constant companion that the notion of even being wrong is so far fetched that it doesn’t enter the realm of possibility.

Matthew & his crew of compatriots were quick to accept their sinfulness because everyone was probably always telling them just how awful they were. They were so acquainted with the idea of being disliked that they simply just assumed they never would be. And so when Jesus comes along, the opposite reaction occurs. They are thrilled to discover that they are okay to be around, that a man who seems to be on equal or better footing with the Pharisees, a respectable man, comes to them, shows solidarity with them, and begins to tell them that they can indeed be a part of what God is doing. This thrills Matthew to no end, so much so that his house is packed with others in his situation in time for supper that night.

Both groups were told Jesus was here to help anyone who needed help, but only one identified themselves as needing help, and so the other group sat outside, griping and complaining in the cold, dead to the fact of their own struggle, while the other enjoyed the company of God, the light of truth and the relief of mercy & grace.

When your life is all about your works, it makes accepting any good news that might bring relief a very difficult thing to do. When your life is all about you, then you feel no compulsion to GoLove others, but instead you spend your days condemning them. It is a sad pitiable place to live, and on this night, the tax collectors, sinners and outcasts of society had a warm, rich dinner in a place of acceptance while the supposedly self-righteous ate the herbs of bitterness and discontent.

If our walk in Christ lacks joy, it may be time to examine what and where we’re eating. If we think we can get through life just fine without Him, we need to examine just why we think we’ve come to this conclusion. Both reactions require an honest look at ourselves, and an honest conversation with God.