Jesus calls Matthew/Levi (Matthew 9:9-12; Mark 2:13-17; Luke 5:27-32)

Jesus left where he had healed the paralytic and sees a tax collector sitting at the official booth.  He says to the man to follow him.  The man does.  According to Gospel of Matthew, this man is named Matthew.  According to Mark and Luke, this man is named Levi.

It is possible such an event happened on two separate occasions involving two different people.  It is also possible that Matthew and Levi are two names that refer to the same person.  Since the Gospel of Matthew - which he may have authored - says that this man is named Matthew, I will refer to him as Matthew.

Later that day, Matthew invites Jesus to his home for a banquet with other tax collectors.  The Pharisees see this and ask the disciples why does Jesus eat with tax collectors?  Jesus overhears this and uses the analogy that it is not the healthy that need a doctor, but the sick.  Similarly, Jesus did not come to call the righteous, but the sinners.

I think it is is tempting to read malicious intent into the Pharisees question.  I am more hesitant to do so.  The question is actually quite valid and Jesus is surprising the social norms.  Jesus heals the sick and casts out demons, but also cleansed the temple of money changers and is eating with tax collectors.  

Tax collectors were bad because they collected taxes for Rome and were viewed as traitors to the Jews.  I think a good modern day analogy of the social pariah for Christians would be an abortion doctor or even someone collecting signature petitions for Planned Parenthood. Regardless, when Jesus encounters them, he invites Matthew to be his friend and eats with them.

This does not necessarily mean that Jesus approves of tax collecting for Rome, which is probably the focus of the social stigma.  If anything, Jesus endorses detaching negative social stigma from people to engage with people as friends.  

It also interesting that the Pharisees question the disciples and not Jesus himself.  Again, it is possible to infer malicious intent in that the Pharisees were trying to bully the disciples.  However, the disciples may have just been on the outer edge of the group and the Pharisees did not want to get any closer to the tax collectors.