Matthew Called

(A)As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man called (B)Matthew sitting in the tax collector’s office; and He *said to him, (C)Follow Me!” And he got up and followed Him.

10 Then it happened that as [a]Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and [b]sinners came and began dining with Jesus and His disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, “(D)Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?” 12 But when Jesus heard this, He said, It is not (E)those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Now go and learn [c](F)what this means: ‘(G)I desire [d]compassion, [e]rather than sacrifice,’ for (H)I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 9:10 Lit He
  2. Matthew 9:10 I.e., irreligious Jews
  3. Matthew 9:13 Lit what is
  4. Matthew 9:13 Or mercy
  5. Matthew 9:13 Lit and not

Jesus calls a “sinner” to be his disciple

Jesus left there and as he passed on he saw a man called Matthew sitting at his desk in the tax-collector’s office. “Follow me!” he said to him—and the man got to his feet and followed him.

10-13 Later, as Jesus was in the house sitting at the dinner-table, a good many tax-collectors and other disreputable people came on the scene and joined him and his disciples. The Pharisees noticed this and said to the disciples, “Why does your master have his meals with tax-collectors and sinners?” But Jesus heard this and replied, “It is not the fit and flourishing who need the doctor, but those who are ill! Suppose you go away and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice’. In any case I did not come to invite the ‘righteous’ but the ‘sinners’.”

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