Mark 2:13-17 Jesus came not for the righteous but for sinners

Jesus went out along the sea.
All the crowd came to him and he taught them.
As he passed by, he saw Levi, son of Alphaeus,
sitting at the customs post.
Jesus said to him, "Follow me."
And he got up and followed Jesus.
While he was at table in his house,
many tax collectors and sinners sat with Jesus and his disciples;
for there were many who followed him.
Some scribes who were Pharisees saw that Jesus was eating with sinners
and tax collectors and said to his disciples,
"Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?"
Jesus heard this and said to them,
"Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do.
I did not come to call the righteous but sinners."

In this passage we see the Jesus did not come to save the devout and pious. Jesus' ministry is to those who are lost. Here we get a glimpse into Jesus' followers. They were a diverse group coming from many backgrounds. Jesus is followed by fishermen,tax collectors, and sinners. Tax collectors would have been hated in Jesus' time because they did not collect wages from the roman empire. They had to inflate the cost of the taxes to support themselves. They were seen as sell outs by their own people because they supported a foreign occupying power. Jesus' remark: "I did not come to call the righteous but sinners" reminds us that we are all sinners. Jesus came to help all of us.