Luke 5:30 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”

NIV: But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, 'Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?'

NASB: The Pharisees and their scribes began grumbling to His disciples, saying, 'Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and sinners?'

CSB: But the Pharisees and their scribes were complaining to his disciples, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners? "

NLT: But the Pharisees and their teachers of religious law complained bitterly to Jesus’ disciples, 'Why do you eat and drink with such scum? '

KJV: But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners?

NKJV: And their scribes and the Pharisees complained against His disciples, saying, “Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”

Jesus and His disciples had been in the house of Levi near the Sea of Galilee. Levi was a tax collector and Jesus had just called him to be a disciple. In response, Levi invited several other tax collectors and people of questionable reputation to a feast with Jesus (Luke 5:27–29).

The Pharisees are a Jewish religious sect; they follow the Mosaic law as interpreted by the Oral Law. The Oral Law is based in tradition, not explicit Scripture, and explains exactly how to follow the Mosaic law in specific circumstances. Scribes are experts in the Law: a cross between modern academics and lawyers. Since these are the scribes from the sect of Pharisees, they know the Mosaic law and the Oral Law extremely well.

The Pharisees have used both sets of laws to establish their own culture and standards of propriety. Jesus does not fit into their self-made concept of righteousness. While He can heal and drive out demons, He touched a man with leprosy (Luke 5:13), assumed God's authority to forgive sins (Luke 5:20), and chose four grubby fishermen (Luke 5:1–11) and a social traitor (Luke 5:27–28) to be His disciples. Then He ate with "sinners."

This event likely occurs well after the dinner. The Pharisees wouldn't have been present at Levi's house, and the disciples are free for them to hound. So far, the Pharisees have pushed back subtly. When Jesus forgave the paralytic, they didn't even speak out loud; Jesus "perceived their thoughts" (Luke 5:21–22). Now, they complain to the disciples. "Grumble" is from the Greek word egongyzon. In the Septuagint Greek translation of the Old Testament, the same word is used when the Israelites grumbled to God in the wilderness (Numbers 14:26–35); in response, God made them wander the wilderness for forty years.

The Pharisees don't even confront Jesus; they accost the four fishermen. Jesus comes to their aid, however. He explains that He isn't there for those who don't think they've sinned. He has come for those who are humble enough to know they're not worthy of forgiveness and are willing to repent (Luke 5:31–32). An example of this would be men like Peter (Luke 5:8).

Matthew and Mark only quote the Pharisees' comment that Jesus ate with sinners (Matthew 9:11; Mark 2:16); Luke includes "drink." Some scholars suggest Luke is obliquely referring to the Lord's Supper, but there is no indication of this.

Luke 5:29–32 records the Pharisees' criticism of Jesus' choice to eat with those society deemed immoral. It is the first of four altercations between Jesus and the Pharisees and their scribes: two regarding unseemly celebrations and two in tension with the scribes' extra-biblical regulations for the Sabbath (Luke 5:33—6:11). These four incidents come between Jesus' call of Levi, the tax-collector, and His call of the remaining disciples. The story of Jesus eating with sinners is also found in Matthew 9:10–13 and Mark 2:15–17.

Luke 5 continues Jesus' Galilean Ministry (Luke 4:14—9:50). The passage alternates calls to discipleship with miracles and teachings which demonstrate what discipleship entails. Jesus calls Peter, Andrew, and their business partners, James and John, to follow Him and make more disciples. Then Jesus makes a man with leprosy ceremonially clean. He forgives the sins of a paralytic. After He calls Levi to follow Him, Jesus celebrates instead of fasting. This draws critical questions from the crowd. The religious leaders consider Jesus' actions blasphemous. His message of forgiveness, faith, and repentance cannot be contained by their tradition.

Jesus has already proved He can expel demons, heal ailments, and reveal the kingdom of God (Luke 4:31–44). In this chapter, He begins to separate His followers from His detractors. This begins with calling the first five disciples and emphasizing faith and repentance over religious tradition. He will drive home the point by treating the Sabbath as a blessing rather than a burden (Luke 6:1–11). After formally inviting the Twelve to follow Him, Jesus will explain to a crowd what discipleship looks like and invite them to build their lives on Him (Luke 6:12–49). In chapter 7, Jesus champions Gentiles and the marginalized.

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.