Mark 2 16

Mark 2:16 kjv

And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners?

Mark 2:16 nkjv

And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, "How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?"

Mark 2:16 niv

When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: "Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?"

Mark 2:16 esv

And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, "Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?"

Mark 2:16 nlt

But when the teachers of religious law who were Pharisees saw him eating with tax collectors and other sinners, they asked his disciples, "Why does he eat with such scum? "

Mark 2 verses

Mark 2 16 Meaning

Mark 2:16 describes the reaction of the scribes and Pharisees to Jesus eating with tax collectors and sinners. They questioned His disciples, implying that such association was improper and contrary to a holy life. This verse highlights the profound theological and social chasm between Jesus's mission of radical inclusivity and the prevailing religious purity standards of the Jewish leaders of His time.

Mark 2 16 Context

Mark 2:16 is part of a series of conflict narratives (Mk 2:1–3:6) demonstrating Jesus' authority over sin, disease, Mosaic Law, and tradition. The verse immediately follows Jesus' calling of Levi, a tax collector, to be His disciple, and the subsequent feast hosted by Levi at his house, where Jesus dined with many tax collectors and other "sinners." The surrounding context highlights Jesus' direct challenges to the religious establishment: healing a paralytic (Mk 2:1-12) and forgiving sins; eating with outcasts (Mk 2:13-17); debates over fasting (Mk 2:18-22); and plucking grain on the Sabbath (Mk 2:23-28). The scribes and Pharisees were deeply invested in upholding their interpretation of ritual purity and social boundaries, viewing dining with such individuals as a contamination of holiness and a disregard for their meticulous understanding of the Law.

Mark 2 16 Word analysis

• And: Kai (καὶ, Greek). Connects the scribes and Pharisees' observation directly to Jesus' action of eating, highlighting it as the cause of their immediate reaction.
• when: Signifies the moment of observation and subsequent questioning.
• the scribes: Grammateis (γραμματεῖς, Greek). Professional interpreters and teachers of the Jewish Law, also legal scholars and record-keepers. They held significant authority and strictly adhered to rabbinic traditions. Their role was to preserve and expound the Law.
• of the Pharisees: Pharisaioi (Φαρισαῖοι, Greek). A prominent Jewish religious and political party. Their name likely means "separated ones." They emphasized meticulous observance of both the written Law (Torah) and the vast body of oral traditions, striving for a high level of ritual purity for all, especially through daily life and eating.
• saw him: Direct observation. Emphasizes their vigilant scrutiny of Jesus' actions.
• eating: Esthionta (ἐσθίοντα, Greek, present active participle of esthio). Denotes an ongoing action. In ancient culture, dining was a communal, intimate act signifying fellowship, acceptance, and even shared identity. Eating together implied shared values and purity status. For the Pharisees, eating with known "sinners" or "tax collectors" was unthinkable, as it would defile one's purity and validate their perceived ungodliness.
• with: Meta (μετά, Greek). Expresses association and intimacy. Not just "in the vicinity of," but "together with," suggesting intentional fellowship.
• tax collectors: Telōnas (τελώνᾱς, Greek). Publicans, Roman agents who collected taxes, tolls, and customs. They were despised by Jews as collaborators, extortionists, and ritualistically unclean (due to handling gentile money and often associating with Gentiles). They were considered the lowest stratum of Jewish society, synonymous with moral corruption.
• and sinners: Kai hamartōlous (καὶ ἁμαρτωλούς, Greek). A broad term. For the Pharisees, this referred not just to those who transgressed specific laws but to a distinct class of people who consistently ignored the Law's requirements (e.g., adulterers, prostitutes, thieves, common people unobservant of purity laws), effectively outsiders from 'righteous' society.

Words-group analysis

• "the scribes of the Pharisees saw him eating": Highlights the meticulous observation by those in authority, reflecting their vigilance over Jesus' adherence to traditional practices. Their concern was not merely moral but ritual and communal.
• "eating with tax collectors and sinners": This phrase encapsulated Jesus' most scandalous act to the religious elite. It was a flagrant violation of their purity laws and social boundaries, challenging their fundamental understanding of who was worthy of God's presence and fellowship. It signifies Jesus' radical inclusivity and identification with the marginalized.
• "They said to his disciples": Rather than directly confronting Jesus, they target His followers, perhaps hoping to sow discord or pressure them, revealing a passive-aggressive challenge to Jesus' authority and teaching.

Mark 2 16 Bonus section

The act of dining held profound cultural significance in ancient Judaism. Meals were not merely for sustenance but were sacred communal rituals that established social standing, fellowship, and acceptance. Eating with someone meant you shared their purity status, or you risked becoming defiled. For the Pharisees, the rigorous avoidance of "unclean" individuals and situations was central to their pursuit of holiness and their belief in being separate (Pharisee meaning "separated one"). Jesus' intentional disregard for these social-religious boundaries, by not only receiving but eating with these outcasts, was a direct and deliberate challenge to the prevailing purity system that kept people far from God and one another. This hospitality was radical, proclaiming God's indiscriminate love and the universal call to repentance before all people, dismantling walls of separation constructed by human tradition.

Mark 2 16 Commentary

Mark 2:16 captures a pivotal moment of conflict in Jesus' early ministry. The scribes and Pharisees, paragons of religious piety and custodians of the Law, were scandalized by Jesus' dining practices. To them, shared meals were covenantal acts, expressing shared values and purity; thus, associating with "tax collectors and sinners" was not only inappropriate but defiling, implying either a lack of holiness in Jesus or an endorsement of their sin. This highlights their legalistic worldview centered on separation and outward conformity.

However, Jesus' actions were driven by a divine mission: He came to save the lost, not to validate their sin but to call them to repentance and new life (Mk 2:17). His approach dismantled the established social and religious barriers, offering compassion and fellowship where the religious establishment offered condemnation and exclusion. This was a direct polemic against the Pharisees' rigid purity system, which often neglected the spirit of the Law in favor of its letter. Jesus demonstrated that God's grace extended beyond the "righteous" to embrace those most alienated and despised, shifting the focus from ceremonial purity to inner transformation and mercy.