Not the Righteous but Sinners
In the second pericope of this chapter, we read a different story from the previous one. Again and again, we see that in the life of Jesus it is not merely about teaching, let alone rhetorical teaching. Instead, we see the truth, the Logos itself, embodied. This is the incarnation. There is no tension and no gap between what Jesus taught, what he preached, what he did, and who he is. This is also the calling of the church. Despite our imperfection as Christians, we are called to follow the life of Jesus.
In the previous pericope, we read about how Jesus healed an unclean disease, leprosy. That story is about uncleanness in the form of a disease. Now we read here about another kind of uncleanness, that of an unclean person, or even persons. This is not merely a coincidental pattern but one we find throughout the Bible, namely the strength of God’s love entering into the very misery of human lives, and the holiness of God entering into human uncleanness.
When we read about the tax collectors, there may be a gap in our perception. In the time of Jesus, tax collectors were unwelcome, disdained, and belittled. They were most likely not observant Jews, since observant Jews would not do business with Gentiles, who were considered unclean. Tax collectors were therefore despised and hated. They were disqualified not only as judges but even as witnesses in court, since they could not be trusted. They were expelled from the synagogue and considered a disgrace to their families. When a tax collector entered a house, that house became unclean. The contempt for tax collectors was so great that lying to them was considered acceptable. Even the two great rabbinic schools of thought, Hillel and Shammai, which disagreed on many matters, agreed in condemning tax collectors.
In the previous pericope, Jesus made contact with an unclean disease. Here, he makes contact with an unclean person. Contact with unclean disease may seem more tolerable, since those who are sick are just victims. But unclean persons become unclean because of their choice.
When we read the book of Psalms, the first chapter is a programmatic chapter that helps us enter into the whole book. There are different perspectives on how to read the Psalms. One way is to view it as a set of instructions on how to live righteously in contrast to the wicked life. The book of Psalms presents a clear opposition between the righteous and the wicked, which cannot be synthesized. We must choose whether to live a righteous life as God wants, or to be a wicked person. Psalm 1:6 says, “for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.”
In the Septuagint, the word ‘wicked’ is translated as ‘sinners’. Thus, tax collectors, according to this classification, fall into the category of the wicked, or sinners. This shows how radical Jesus’s invitation was when he opened table fellowship with those considered wicked sinners. Is this in tension with the teaching of the Psalms? Certainly not. The Word of God does not contradict itself.
The opposition is real, but it is not between Jesus and the Psalms, but between Jesus’s teaching and the false reception of the Psalms. Many of us, when reading the sharp opposition between the wicked and the righteous, tend to classify ourselves in the category of the righteous. When we read a beautiful story in the Bible, we often position ourselves as the good persons rather than the evil persons. This is the theological problem that Jesus addresses.
Even rabbinic teaching, such as that of Rabbi Meir, reflects this problem. He said, “He that occupies himself in the study of the Torah is deserving of the whole world. He is called friend, beloved, lover of God, lover of mankind.” While not entirely wrong, the problem lies in the idea of being ‘deserving’. It implies a relationship with God based on entitlement. If we do something for God, then we deserve something in return, even the whole world. When we think of ourselves as deserving or entitled, we shut the door to understanding divine grace.
True religiosity is tested when we can enter into fellowship with those considered unclean. We may say we can have fellowship with such people, but not when they are annoying. We sometimes call this setting boundaries. Of course, boundaries are necessary, but the question is: according to whose standard? Usually, the boundaries are set according to our own wisdom and desire, according to our autonomous freedom to choose who can enter into our circle.
In the previous pericope, Jesus pronounced the forgiveness of sins and showed himself to have authority in forgiving sins. In verse 15, we read that Jesus was the host of the table fellowship, not the tax collectors. Even today, in the Lord’s Supper, Jesus is still the host. The church is not the host. She is invited, and Jesus is the host. The church is blessed when it recognizes that its position is like that of the tax collectors.
The danger in religion, including Christianity, comes when we try to establish our own righteousness. Those who define their own righteousness usually do not understand the depth of God’s grace. The more we consider ourselves more righteous than others, the further we are from the kingdom of God. Yet, ironically, those considered too unclean or too far from hope of receiving God’s favor are the very ones to whom Jesus graciously grants free righteousness.
It is Jesus who initiates the fellowship, not human beings, whether righteous or wicked. We are blessed if we can hear his voice and his invitation, for we are not the ones who invite him. Sometimes we think we are sovereign enough to decide when we want to come to God, when we want to worship, when we want to pray, and so on. We like to think that we are the ones who have the last word. But this is not our decision. The initiative comes from Jesus. If Jesus does not call, no one will come.
There is also an interesting theological profile here, compared to the Gospel of Luke. This is not a contradiction but a creative tension. The Gospel of Luke emphasizes repentance. The Gospel of Mark does not deny the importance of repentance, but it highlights the distribution of love from Jesus and his unconditional acceptance. What is the beauty of this theological profile? This shows that Christianity cannot be reduced to merely moral restoration or moral demands. It is about understanding the depth of God’s love in Christ. If we miss the love of God, then all moral improvement and reformation remain within legalism.
Again and again, the Bible emphasizes that the wicked, the sinners, are often more aware that they are undeserving of God’s blessing, mercy, and love. We are not celebrating evil or sin, but affirming what the Bible says: no one is righteous. So when we read Psalm 1 and its distinction between the righteous and the wicked, the question arises: who actually belongs to the righteous? Who can claim to be clean and not unclean?
The Beatitudes begin with the words, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Today, let us again receive the invitation of Jesus. When we consider ourselves sinners, we are blessed, for we can then receive the grace of God. (T.F.L.)