Mark 2:15-17 – Sharing Jesus
15 And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him.
16 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?
17 When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
Jesus came for sinners. In today’s passage, we see the pharisees confront Jesus about socializing with sinners and those who would be considered “low-lifes”. When criticized for His choice of company, Jesus reminded the pharisees that His whole point in being there was for sinners. Just like doctors do not work on healthy people, Jesus says that he is there for the spiritually sick.
For Christians, it is very important that we have good, Godly friends to help us through life. However, that does not give us a right to block off other people from the Gospel. We have a responsibility to share Jesus with everyone, whoever they are.
Life Step: Think about it…
Why was Jesus criticized for the people he hung around?
Who can you share Jesus with who might seem like an unlikely person?
Study the Scriptures with Ben Jennings 
Jesus was probably criticized for the people He hung around because the pharisees thought “if He is really the Son of God, why is He hanging around ‘bad people’?” but they didn’t understand. To them, it was all about religion, and what they looked like on the outside. But Jesus was coming to seek and save the lost people in the world. Which is what we should be doing too, taking after Jesus and sharing the gospel with the lost!