Matthew 9:10 says, And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples. While Jesus was in the home, publicans and sinners came and sat down with Him. Of course, even if they did not acknowledge it, even the most religious of leaders were sinners as well, just as we all are sinners today. Verse eleven declares, And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? The Pharisees questioned Jesus' disciples as to why He ate with publicans and sinners, once more not acknowledging that they themselves were sinners. Also, instead of questioning Jesus, they questioned His disciples. For us to really even begin to understand why Jesus did what He did, we must first establish a personal relationship with Him. Verse twelve states, But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. Jesus said that people who are well do not need a physician, but sick people do. I also believe that the sick people must acknowledge that they are sick and need a physician and put their faith in him, just as we must acknowledge that we are spiritually sick and acknowledge that Jesus is the Great Physician and put our faith in Him to spiritually heal us. Verse thirteen adds, But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Jesus told the Pharisees to go and learn what He meant by that. Jesus added that He came not to save the righteous but the unrighteous. What the Pharisees, and everyone else then and since have to understand is that none is righteous of their own merit, but can only become so through putting their faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. Verse fourteen says, Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not? The disciples of John came to Jesus next asking why they and the Pharisees fasted often, and Jesus' disciples did not fast. They were putting the emphasis on physical displays of righteousness and not on the spiritual relationship with Jesus that John had called them too. They were basically sayin that the Pharisees and they were more righteous than Jesus and His disciples. No matter how many rituals we go through today, unless we put our faith in Jesus we will never be righteous, which means to have a right relationship with God. Verse fifteen declares, And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast. Jesus compared His disciples not fasting to not fasting when the bridegroom was present. Jesus is the Bridegroom in this analogy, and while He was with the disciples it was not the time to mourn or fast. Verse sixteen states, No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse. Jesus was not to be a patch on the old garment of religious acts, but was to be the fulfillment of the old covenant between the people of Israel and God and the beginning of the new covenant. Verse seventeen adds, Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved. Jesus was also the new wine and people had to come to Him understanding that He was not to be contained by old religious habits but was come to fulfill the prophesies of the Messiah. Jesus was and is the only way to salvation.
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