As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

--Parallel verses:
‭‭James‬ ‭4‬:‭6‬-‭10‬
But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

Who do you choose to associate with? What are the reasons you choose to hang out with them?

These questions were front and center to the Pharisees' minds as they were trying to understand Jesus, his mission, and his ministry. And he perplexed them. He actually infuriated them for a few reasons:
1) He had no power or wealth ambition, so this made him hard to relate to or manipulate.
2) He valued things that did not inflate the egos of the leaders.
3) He associated with the common man, even though he could have associated with the higher religious class.

The Pharisees did not want to admit they needed the saving grace Jesus offered. Matthew knew he was a sinner and decided to change and follow Jesus. He went from a wealthy, likely greedy man, who was incentivized to steal from his own people, to a poor and humble follower of Jesus. Initially, his power platform in life looked to be drastically diminished. But we find with God, ”he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6)

In the James passage I find that God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. And he wants us to weep and wail about our sin in full repentance to him. And we are to humble ourselves before him, and he will lift us up.

This is what Matthew did, he humbled himself. The Pharisees, on the other hand, were proud. What a stark contrast!

Lord, thank you for showing that you are not impressed with our pride and arrogance. You love humble people who repent. And you use them for great things, while passing over those who think they are big shots. Keep me hungry and humble!