Luke 5:30

30 ¹The Pharisees and their scribes began grumbling at His disciples, saying, "Why * do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and sinners?"

Luke 5:30 Meaning and Commentary

Luke 5:30

But their Scribes and Pharisees
Not the Scribes of the publicans and sinners that sat down, but the Scribes of the people in general; the Scribes of the Jewish nation: all the eastern versions leave out the word "their":

murmured against his disciples, saying;
or, "murmured, and said unto his disciples", as the Syriac and Persic versions render it: that is, they either murmured at the publicans and sinners sitting down at meat; or "against him", as the Ethiopic version reads: either against Matthew for inviting them; or rather against Christ for sitting down with them: and not caring to speak to him, address themselves to his disciples in these words,

why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners?
The other evangelists represent these as saying, why does he, or your master, eat with such? doubtless, they included both Christ, and his disciples; though they chiefly designed him, and to bring an accusation against him, and fix a charge upon him, in order to render him odious to the people.

Luke 5:30 In-Context

28 And he left everything behind, and got up and began to follow Him.

29 And Levi gave a big reception for Him in his house; and there was a great crowd of tax collectors and other people who were reclining at the table with them.

30 The Pharisees and their scribes began grumbling at His disciples, saying, "Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and sinners?"

31 And Jesus answered and said to them, "It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick.

32 "I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance."

Cross References

• 1. Mark 2:16; Luke 15:2; Acts 23:9

Footnotes

• [a]. I.e. irreligious Jews