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God Desires Mercy, not Rituals
My interpretation on Pharisees and tax collectors
In many places in the New Testament, Jesus speaks of the Pharisees. But who were they?
In many ways they were people we could admire — they wanted to do what they considered the right thing. They were often the pillars of the community, known for their good behavior.
However, what they defined as good behavior was often legalistic and judgmental.
The Pharisees could be unyielding and self-righteous, congratulating themselves for their obedience to the letter of the law and looking down on those who were not so perfect. In addition to the Torah, they also believed in the oral traditions which often added to the complexity of the law that they thought good people should obey.
They split up people into two groups — those that were good and those that were bad.
In the latter group were definitely tax collectors.
So it is no wonder they became indignant when Jesus invited such sinners to dinner, which he does in Matthew 9:9. The fact that He was having a meal with such a person drew their criticism.
Jesus responded to them in Matthew 9:13, saying:
