Luke 5:29-32
“Levi made a great feast for him in his house. There was a great crowd of tax collectors and others who were reclining at the table with them. The Pharisees and their scribes complained to his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus answered them, “Those who are healthy have no need of a physician, but those who are sick do. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.””
This passage from Luke's Gospel, likely written in the late 1st century CE, describes an event early in Jesus's ministry. After calling Levi (also known as Matthew), a tax collector, to follow him, Jesus attends a banquet at Levi's house, where many tax collectors and others considered 'sinners' are present. The religious leaders question Jesus's actions.
What does Jesus's willingness to cross social boundaries reveal about the nature of his mission?