CHAPTER
8
Matthew 9:9 And as Jesus passed forth from
thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he
saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.
Matthew 9:10 And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in
the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his
disciples.
Matthew 9:11 And when the Pharisees saw [it], they said
unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?
Matthew 9:12 But when Jesus heard [that], he said unto
them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.
Matthew 9:13 But go ye
and learn what [that] meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am
not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
Mark 2:13 And he went forth again by the sea
side; and all the multitude resorted unto him, and he taught them.
Mark 2:14 And as he passed by, he saw Levi
the [son] of Alphaeus sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto
him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him. {at the...: or, at the place
where the custom was received}
Mark 2:15 And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat
in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his
disciples: for there were many, and they followed him.
Mark 2:16 And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat
with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he
eateth and drinketh with publicans
and sinners?
Mark 2:17 When Jesus heard [it], he saith unto them, They
that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not
to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
Luke 5:27 And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said unto him, Follow me.
Luke 5:28 And he left all, rose up, and followed him.
Luke 5:29 And Levi made him a great feast in his own house:
and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with
them.
Luke 5:30 But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against
his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners?
Luke 5:31 And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are
whole need not a physician; but they that are sick.
Luke 5:32 I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to
repentance.
What is a Publican Anyway?
Matthew 5:43 “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou
shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
Matthew 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless
them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which
despitefully use you, and persecute you;
Matthew 5:45 That ye may be the children of your Father
which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good,
and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
Matthew 5:46 For if ye love them which love you, what
reward have ye? do not
even the publicans the same?
Matthew 5:47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do
ye more [than others]? do
not even the publicans so?
Matthew 5:48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father
which is in heaven is perfect.”
Matthew 11:19 “The Son of man came eating and drinking,
and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a
friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her
children.”
Matthew 18:17 “And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell
[it] unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee
as an heathen man and a
publican.”
Why do the Jews and Jesus refer to the
publicans with such distaste?
· The publicans were tax gatherers for Rome
· Judea was a province of the Roman Empire
· The Jews were biding their time impatiently, and paid their taxes with great reluctance
· Those who were appointed to collect taxes were objects of great loathing - they were men who were required to execute their office no matter what and therefore they were willing to take on the job that most others hated as anything over the tax that they could extort was theirs.
· These men were often prone to anger in their exactions, and not men who were invited over to the family picnic.
· The Jews saw them as the lowest and put them in the same category as thieves, adulterers, sinners, and harlots.
Who else in scripture is a Publican?
Luke 19:1 “And [Jesus] entered and passed through
Jericho.
Luke 19:2 And, behold, [there was] a man named Zacchaeus,
which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich.
Luke 19:3 And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could
not for the press, because he was little of stature.
Luke 19:4 And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore
tree to see him: for he was to pass that [way].
Luke 19:5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up,
and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day
I must abide at thy house.
Luke 19:6 And he made haste, and came down, and received
him joyfully.
Luke 19:7 And when they saw [it], they all murmured,
saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.
Luke 19:8 And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord;
Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any
thing from any man by false accusation, I restore [him] fourfold.
Luke 19:9 And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation
come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.
Luke 19:10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
By Matthew referring to himself as “Matthew the publican”
you can see that he never forgot who
he was. He wrote the first book in
the canon of the New Testament and yet he referred to himself as the worst of
all people.
Matthew 10:3 Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James [the son] of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus;
Luke 18:9 And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: {that...: or, as being righteous}
Luke 18:10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
Luke 18:11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men [are], extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
Luke 18:12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
Luke 18:13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as [his] eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
Luke 18:14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified [rather] than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.