The gospel tradition depicts Jesus of Nazareth (c. 6-4 BCE–c. 30 CE) as being in frequent company with sinners. It is important to briefly discuss the meaning of the term “sinners” in the Jewish tradition and the historicity and meaning of Jesus interactions with them.

There is consensus in historical Jesus and New Testament scholarship that Jesus accepted the company of sinners and interacted with them (Holmen 2008, 1776). The evidence lies in multiple forms (sayings, parables, narratives) and sources: Mark 2:15–17; Q (Matt 11:18–19/Luke 7:33–35); Luke 19:1–10, as well as displays dissimilarity to early Christian attitudes (cf. 1 Cor 5:11). Pertaining to single traditions, Matthew 11:18–19/Luke 7:33–35 has a good claim to authenticity, as here Jesus himself refers to a pejorative label attached to him because of his companionship with dubious people.

Some terms that appear in Jewish literature, such as the Hebrew rasha’ (“wicked”) and Greek hamartolos (“sinner”), are used to signify apostates and wilful sinners who do wrong without conscience (Holmen 2008, 1777). These terms are also used as devices of polemic and denunciation by which one Jewish group judges the other. 

In the Gospel tradition, “sinners” (hamartoloi), identifying a certain group of people with whom Jesus interacted and kept company, is used by all involved in the debates and disputes of Jesus’ company: the author of Mark (2:15), Pharisees (Mark 2:16), Jesus himself (Mark 2:17), and people in general (Matt 11:19/Luke 7:34; cf. also Luke 19:7). Tax collectors and prostitutes (Matt. 21:31–32; cf. Luke 7:36–50) were despised by all Jews and are regularly mentioned in the gospels in combination “with “sinners” (Mark 2:15–16; Matt 11:19; Luke 7:34, 15:1, 19:7). Such people were denounced as sinners because of perceived negligence in mostly Pharisaic purity and food regulations (Jeremias 1971, 108–113).

The meaning of Jesus’ company with sinners is notable. It was most apparent in the companionship with which Jesus shared table fellowship with them (Holmen 2008, 1778). Dining with others indicates fellowship in all aspects of life, creating a bond with mutual obligations between all involved.

It also had clear religious connotations, as salvation was often presented as a banquet where the Messiah, or God himself, was the host (Holmen 2008, 1778). From this banquet, sinners and idolaters would be excluded, going hungry and thirsty (Isa. 25:6–8; 65:13–14; 1 En. 62:13–14; 1QSa. 2:11–22).  Given that devout Jews were advised to keep away from sinners (Ps 1; Sir 12; Pss. Sol. 3; 1 En. 97:4; 1QS 5:1–2), sharing a table with them would constitute a direct violation of this advice. According to scholar Tom Holmen,

“What could have been Jesus’ own and intended purpose(s) in associating with sinners and gathering at table with them? Scholarship has almost unanimously seen in the table fellowship Jesus’ means of imparting the message about the kingdom of God. While the ascetic faster John the Baptist preached imminent judgment, Jesus’ proclamation was mainly characterized by the joyful kingdom message. As for Jesus, then, fasting was simply impossible, just as it would have been impossible at a wedding banquet (see Mark 2:18–19; cf. Matt 11:18–19/Luke 7:33–35; see Isa 62:2–5; Jer 33:10–11 for a wedding as a picture for the time of salvation). Instead, sharing the table was a cheerful occasion suitable for the cheerful message. But table fellowship served well in conveying the message for another reason too: it called for mutual acceptance. That is, not only did Jesus accept those with whom he shared the table, those enjoying Jesus’ company and the joyous message about the kingdom were also supposed to accept Jesus as the bearer of the kingdom” (2008, 1778-1779).

Nonetheless, Jesus came under sharp criticism for associating and interacting with sinners, since willingly putting himself in their presence would have made himself suspect of being one of them. There was a further issue for Jesus given his companionship with sinners:

“If Jesus was instead understood to make the claim that these people could and should be seen as accepted members of society – even as legitimate heirs of the kingdom – another kind of disturbing thought would have been evoked: what use was there of all labor in trying to heed God’s commandments and lead a life in agreement with his will? In other words, Jesus’ behavior would have blurred the difference between righteous and sinners and frustrated covenant loyalty. Because Jesus made his appearance, among other things, as that of a religious teacher (with following), this behavior would have been experienced as not only outrageous but also alarming. Such sentiment of offence has left a clear trace in the tradition and was probably one factor among others to spur the leading religious figures to take action against Jesus” (Holmen 2008, 1779-1780).

Accepting and keeping company with sinners was a method Jesus used to encourage them to repent by returning to God. Importantly, moreover, Jesus also associated with other types of people. Of course, he was with his disciples, but also, as Luke’s author informs readers, some Pharisees, even visiting their homes (7:36; 11:37; 14:1). Jesus did not therefore associate only with sinners but showed an openness to all kinds of people.

References

Jeremias, J. 1971. New Testament Theology I: The Proclamation of Jesus. London: SCM Press.

Holmen, Tom. 2008. “Sinners.” In The Routledge Encyclopedia of the Historical Jesus, edited by Craig A. Evans, 1775–1781. Routledge (Apple Books). 

McDougall, Joy A. “Sin.” 2011. In The Cambridge Dictionary of Christian Theology, edited by Ian A. McFarland, David A. S. Fergusson, Karen Kilby, and Iain R. Torrance, 473–475 Cambridge University Press.