And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?
What does Matthew 9:11 mean?
Some time after his call, Matthew sought to bring his old associates to hear Christ. He knew by experience what the grace of Christ could do, and would not despair concerning them.
Key themes
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Keep this verse inside Matthew 9:10-13 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on Matthew 9:11
And when the Pharisees saw it , they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? Why eateth and drinketh ... - To eat and drink with others denotes intimacy and familiarity. The Pharisees, by asking this question, accused him of seeking the society of such people, and of being the companion of the wicked. The inference which they would draw was, that he could not be himself righteous, since he delighted in the company of abandoned people.
Key words
- Pharisees
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And when the Pharisees saw it , they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? And when the Pharisees saw it,.
- disciples
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And when the Pharisees saw it , they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? And when the Pharisees saw it,.
- eateth
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And when the Pharisees saw it , they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? And when the Pharisees saw it,.
Context in Matthew 9
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Matthew 9 belongs to the middle movement of the book, especially the section often described as ministry and teaching blocks. Matthew presents Jesus as Davidic Messiah, new Moses, teacher of the kingdom, suffering Son of Man, and risen Lord who commissions the nations. Read this chapter with the wider themes of fulfillment, kingdom of heaven, and discipleship in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
Related topics
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Key passages on God's unmerited favour, the grace of Christ, salvation by grace through faith, and how grace transforms the way believers live.