Luke 5:30 · Bible study
Luke 5:30 Commentary: Eating with Sinners
Greek · 8 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Examine the controversy over Jesus eating with tax collectors and sinners, and what it reveals about his mission.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Jesus’ meal with tax collectors and sinners demonstrates his mission to call the sick to repentance.
- Key words: murmured (gonguzō, discontented complaining), tax collectors (telōnēs, despised Jewish agents of Rome), sinners (hamartōlōs, those devoted to sin).
- Main debate: Does Jesus’ table fellowship abolish purity laws, or emphasize mercy over ritual? Both sides seek to be faithful.
- Theological theme: Grace breaks human boundaries; the Messiah comes for the outcast.
- Best use: To teach about evangelism, hospitality, and the scandal of grace.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
But the Pharisees and their scribes complained to Jesus’ disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”
WEB World English Bible 2000
Their scribes and the Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and sinners?”
KJV King James Version 1769
But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners?
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And the Pharisees and their scribes murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with the publicans and sinners?
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
and the scribes and the Pharisees among them were murmuring at his disciples, saying, `Wherefore with tax-gatherers and sinners do ye eat and drink?'
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And their scribes and the Pharisees murmured at his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with tax-gatherers and sinners?
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
But the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying to his disciples: Why do you eat and drink with publicans and sinners?
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y los escribas y los Fariseos murmuraban contra sus discípulos, diciendo: ¿ Por qué coméis y bebéis con los publicanos y pecadores?
E seus fariseus e escribas murmuravam contra os seus discípulos, dizendo: Por que comeis e bebeis com cobradores de impostos e pecadores?
Les pharisiens et les scribes murmurèrent, et dirent à ses disciples: Pourquoi mangez-vous et buvez-vous avec les publicains et les gens de mauvaise vie?
Und die Schriftgelehrten und Pharisäer murrten wider seine Jünger und sprachen: Warum esset und trinket ihr mit den Zöllnern und Sündern?
En hun Schriftgeleerden en de Farizeen murmureerden tegen Zijn discipelen, zeggende: Waarom eet en drinkt gij met tollenaren en zondaren?
E i Farisei ed i loro scribi mormoravano contro i discepoli di Gesù, dicendo: Perché mangiate e bevete coi pubblicani e coi peccatori?
Tedy szemrali nauczeni w Piśmie i Faryzeuszowie, mówiąc do uczniów jego: Przecz z celnikami i z grzesznikami jecie i pijecie?
Книжники же и фарисеи роптали и говорили ученикам Его: зачем вы едите и пьете с мытарями и грешниками?
法利賽人 和 文士 就向 耶穌 的門徒 發怨言 說：「你們為甚麼 和 稅吏 並 罪人 一同吃 喝呢？」
And the Pharisees and their scribes made protests against his disciples, saying, Why do you take food and drink with tax-farmers and sinners?
Verse in Context
Original Language (Koine Greek)
New Testament · Koine Greek · Luke 5:30
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree this verse captures the central clash between Jesus' mission and the religious establishment. The scribes and Pharisees, as the Cambridge Bible describes, were 'the authorised teachers' who enforced strict separation from the impure. They murmured (egonguzon, imperfect tense), a grumble that, according to Gill, was aimed at Christ though spoken to the disciples. Barnes notes that Levi's feast was an opportunity for Jesus to reach tax collectors, showing Matthew's humility in recording it. The question assumes holiness demands isolation. Jesus' response (vv.31-32) uses the physician analogy: the sick need healing. The core message here, universally affirmed, is that Jesus' mission is not to the self-righteous but to those who acknowledge their need for repentance.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: Jesus' association with tax collectors and sinners declares his mission to call sinners to repentance, not to affirm their sin but to heal them.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Purity vs Mercy | Commentators agree that the Pharisees valued separation from the impure as an expression of holiness. | Does Jesus' action dismiss the Old Testament purity laws or reinterpret them to prioritize mercy? Some traditions see a clear abrogation; others see a hierarchy within the law. |
| Target of the complaint | All notes agree the murmuring was ultimately aimed at Jesus, not just his disciples. | Was the complaint spoken directly to the disciples (as the text states) or is it a roundabout attack on Jesus? Gill emphasizes it as an indirect accusation; Cambridge considers it a way to avoid confronting Jesus directly. |
| Identity of 'sinners' | The term refers to those considered outside God's covenant community, often including moral and ritual categories. | Does hamartōlōs here primarily denote moral wickedness or ritual impurity? The article in Greek may indicate a recognized class, but the ethical weight remains debated. |
Historical & Cultural Context
The controversy erupts at a feast hosted by Levi, the newly called tax collector. Tax collectors (telōnēs) were despised as agents of Roman occupation, often guilty of extortion. The Pharisees and their scribes, the Cambridge Bible describes these scribes as 'the authorised teachers' who developed the oral law, adhered to strict purity codes that prohibited table fellowship with the impure. Mark 7:3 notes that Pharisees 'don't eat unless they wash their hands and forearms, holding to the tradition of the elders.'
The verb 'murmured' (egonguzon) is imperfect tense, denoting repeated or ongoing grumbling. Thayer notes it describes those 'who discontentedly complain.' This was a public accusation aimed at discrediting Jesus. As Gill observes, they addressed the disciples but 'chiefly designed him', seeking to fix a charge upon him. The setting is an open house, as the Cambridge Bible notes, so the Pharisees could observe without entering.
Luke's Gospel has already shown scribes and Pharisees questioning Jesus (5:17,21), establishing a pattern of confrontation. The question 'Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?' is loaded with assumptions: holiness means separation, and association with sinners contaminates. The presence of the article (τῶν τελωνῶν καὶ ἁμαρτωλῶν) indicates a recognized category of the 'unclean.' Jesus will overturn this by redefining righteousness as mercy, not isolation.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note a variant reading: some manuscripts read 'the Pharisees and their scribes' rather than 'their scribes and the Pharisees.' The Cambridge Bible mentions this, noting it emphasizes the scribes as authorized teachers. Also, nearly all uncials include the article before 'tax collectors and sinners' (τῶν τελωνῶν καὶ ἁμαρτωλῶν), indicating a recognized class. No other significant textual variants are noted in the supplied sources.
Reception History
Barnes highlights Matthew’s humility in not recording the feast himself, seeing it as an act of self-effacing love for Christ. Gill and Poole emphasize the malice behind the Pharisees’ question, a warning against self-righteousness. Across church history, this passage has been used to model evangelistic hospitality, meeting the lost where they are, as Jesus did. The Cambridge Bible notes the 'tyranny of pseudo-orthodoxy' that Jesus confronted, a caution that has resonated in many eras against legalism. Christians have read this as a call to transcend purity-boundary drawing in favor of grace-filled reach.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The Complaint: Self-Righteous Separation, The scribes and Pharisees murmur, revealing their belief that holiness requires isolation from sinners.
- The Context: A Feast of Grace, Levi’s great feast is an intentional gathering where Jesus becomes the guest of honor among outcasts.
- The Cure: Physician for the Sick, Jesus’ coming response redefines his mission: not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
Five-point outline
- The Setting, Levi (Matthew) makes a great feast for Jesus, filling his house with tax collectors and others (Lk 5:29).
- The Grumblers, Scribes and Pharisees, guardians of tradition, observe and begin to murmur.
- The Accusation, They challenge the disciples: “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”
- The Silence on the Surface, They address the disciples, avoiding a direct confrontation with Jesus, yet aiming at him.
- The Coming Answer, Jesus will respond with the physician analogy, turning the accusation into a revelation of his mission.
Illustration hooks
- A church potluck where a newcomer with a difficult past is welcomed, some members feel uncomfortable, others see an opportunity for grace.
- Inviting a coworker from a completely different worldview to dinner, the risk of being misunderstood by others.
- A medical mission that goes into a neighborhood others avoid, treating the sick where they are.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Does Jesus eating with sinners mean we should ignore sin in fellowship?
- How do I balance being with non-Christians and staying holy?
- Why did the Pharisees see table fellowship as so threatening?
Leading a Discussion
Levi’s feast becomes a collision point between the purity traditions of the Pharisees and the radical grace of Jesus. This passage invites us to examine our own assumptions about who is welcome at the table of grace.
Discussion questions
- Read Luke 5:27-32. What do you notice about Levi’s response to Jesus’ call?
- Why do you think the scribes and Pharisees murmured? What did they fear?
- How does Jesus’ answer in verses 31-32 reframe the issue?
- In what ways do we sometimes act like the Pharisees, avoiding those we see as ‘sinners’?
- How can we practice table fellowship that reaches others for Christ without compromising our faith?
- What does this passage teach us about the heart of the gospel?
- Share a time when sharing a meal opened a door for spiritual conversation.
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Isaiah 65:5 | who say, ‘Stay by yourself, don’t come near to me, for I am holier than you.’ These are smoke in my nose, a fire that burns all day. |
| Matthew 21:28 | But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first, and said, ‘Son, go work today in my vineyard.’ |
| Matthew 21:32 | For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you didn’t believe him; but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. When you saw it, you didn’t even repent afterward, that you might believe him. |
| Mark 7:3 | (For the Pharisees and all the Jews don’t eat unless they wash their hands and forearms, holding to the tradition of the elders. |
| Luke 5:17 | On one of those days, he was teaching; and there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by who had come out of every village of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. The power of the Lord was with him to heal them. |
| Luke 5:21 | The scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?” |
| Luke 7:29 | When all the people and the tax collectors heard this, they declared God to be just, having been baptized with John’s baptism. |
| Luke 7:30 | But the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the counsel of God, not being baptized by him themselves. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
8 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Why do ye eat and drink, etc. - See what passed at this entertainment considered at large on Mat 9:10-17 (note); Mar 2:15-22 (note).
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes highlights that Matthew omitted the detail about hosting a great feast for Jesus from his own gospel, showing how true religion avoids self-praise. He suggests Matthew gathered his fellow tax collectors to bring them into contact with Jesus, and the Lord used the occasion for good despite the risk of criticism.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator explains that the scribes were a post-exile body of legal experts whose oral traditions had become a crushing system of control. Their complaint against Jesus' disciples shows they were still bound by these human traditions, while Jesus came to set consciences free.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
But they that were Scribes and Pharises among them, murmured against his disciples, saying, Why eate ye and drinke ye with Publicanes and sinners?
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill notes that the Scribes and Pharisees were not attached to the publicans and sinners but were the religious leaders of the Jewish nation. Their murmuring was chiefly aimed at Christ, not his disciples, and they addressed the disciples only to avoid confronting Jesus directly while trying to discredit him before the people.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB observes that the parable of old and new wine in Luke explains why people long accustomed to Judaism's ascetic spirit naturally resist the new evangelical freedom Christ brings. Time will soften that resistance as the new itself becomes familiar. The lesson warns equally against clinging to what is outdated and against impatience with those who hesitate to change.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange treats Jesus' remark about old wine being good as a compassionate acknowledgment of why Pharisees and John's disciples struggled with His new way. He argues Jesus does not condemn their attachment to the old but recognizes it as understandable, even as the new covenant surpasses it.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry highlights that this passage contains no physical miracle, yet its acts of grace -- the call of a despised tax collector and Christ's fellowship with sinners -- are no less powerful proofs that Jesus was sent by God. For Henry, these "wonders of his grace" carry the same weight as any healing.