thinking bible.

You asked

how does jesus's dining with 'sinners' connect with or challenge old testament purity laws?

The passage, plainly, with room to sit with it.

Mark 2:15-17

He was reclining at the table in his house, and many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples; for there were many, and they followed him. The scribes and the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with tax collectors and sinners, said to his disciples, "Why is it that he eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?" When Jesus heard it, he said to them, "Those who are healthy have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

This passage from Mark's Gospel describes Jesus sharing a meal at the home of Levi (Matthew), a tax collector. Tax collectors were often viewed as collaborators with the Roman authorities and ritually impure, placing them outside accepted religious society along with other 'sinners.'

What does it mean to extend welcome to those on the margins of your community, even when it challenges established norms?

Keep thinking

Read alongside it

  • Luke 15:1-2

    Describes Jesus eating with tax collectors and sinners, prompting a parable about lost sheep and coins.

  • Isaiah 1:16-17

    Prophetic call to 'wash yourselves, make yourselves clean,' connecting purity with justice and helping the oppressed.

  • Acts 10:28

    Peter's vision and subsequent interaction with Cornelius, challenging Jewish dietary and social purity norms for Gentile inclusion.

Ask your own follow-up