So the Pharisees and scribes began to grumble: “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”The Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, “This man welcomes sinners, and eats with them.”And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.And both the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.
3 sermons cite this verse
… and it says in verse 1, now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus, but the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, this man welcomes sinners and eats with them. The Pharisees are basically saying, wait, wait, wait, what's happening? You're about to teach the word of God, but you have these sinners sitting here, these public outright sinners, people whom we dislike, who do not deserve your grace, you have them here. That's not fair. That's not okay. The Pharisees aren't denying that the word of God is true and there's a promise, but they're trying to determine and tell us who can have a seat at the table, but are you thankful that that's not our God and everyone's invited? They're too biased. They still have hard hearts. They just can't see what's in front of them. Jesus, the Messiah, is showing them the way. They're just blinded. They're just blinded. And so Jesus is going to go on and tell them stories, stories so that they can relate, stories that they can maybe hear and answer and audit their hearts. …
… Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to Jesus. And the Pharisees and scribes were grumbling and saying, this fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them. So Jesus told them this parable. Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that's lost until he finds it? And when he's found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, Rejoice with me, for I've found my lost sheep. Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous persons who need no repentance. This is the word of God for you, the people of God. Thanks be to God. This past Tuesday, when I exited the M1 bus right in front of the church, a voice called out to me, Pastor, it's been a long time. I looked up and saw a slender man sitting right out in the front steps there. …
… Then drew near unto him all the tax collectors and sinners to hear him. And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners and eateth with them. And he spoke this parable unto them. Now let me give you the setting. Jesus Christ would eat and drink with unsaved people. He loved them. He kept company with them because he wanted to bring them to himself. He wanted them to receive forgiveness and redemption and salvation and freedom. But the Pharisees hated Jesus for this. Now, you know who the Pharisees were. They were the religious crowd of that day, BUT THEY WERE SO SELF-RIGHTEOUS. AND IN THESE PHARISEES THE MILK OF HUMAN KINDNESS HAD CURDLED. AND SO THEY CRITICIZED THE LORD JESUS FOR RECEIVING SINNERS AND FOR EATING WITH SINNERS. AND BY THE WAY, IT DOESN'T TAKE MUCH SIZE TO CRITICIZE. THAT'S VERY EASY TO DO. AND EVERY CHURCH HAS ITS CRITICS. ONE LITTLE COUNTRY CHURCH, A PASTOR STOOD UP AND SAID, uh, Brother Jones, would you please lead us in a word of criticism? …