* Matthew was seen as a traitorous Jew who was using his skills in accounting to fatten the pockets of the Romans.

* But Jesus saw something in him and picked him for the team.

* Jesus went to his house, and people started talking - “He hangs out with sinners.”

* Jesus was the friend of sinners - those who KNEW they were sinners.

* Listen to what He said at the table - “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.”

* How do you think that made His dinner buddies feel?

* I’m sure the conversation afterward was a doozy.

* Jesus loved them and accepted them, but He held them to a higher standard than what they held themselves.

* And THEY KNEW IT!

* Jesus didn’t tiptoe around the hot topics - He let them know they were sick and needed a doctor and He was the man for the job.

* A sick person is someone who recognizes their need for a doctor.

* The Pharisees didn’t think they were sick.

* They were religious on the outside but rotten on the inside.

* When mercy is lacking, religious formalities are meaningless (Bible Knowledge Commentary).