And as he sat at dinner in Levi’s house, many tax-collectors and sinners were also sitting with Jesus and his disciples—for there were many who followed him. When the scribes of the Pharisees saw that he was eating with sinners and tax-collectors, they said to his disciples, ‘Why does he eat with tax-collectors and sinners?’ When Jesus heard this, he said to them, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.’ (Mark 2: 15-17)

The Gospel of Mark was written in koine Greek. This is not the Greek of Plato and Aristotle. It is much more the Greek of the marketplace.

If educated Americans write and speak with the English of the New York Times, Koine is similar to the English spoken by a Chinese entrepreneur to his Polish customers.

The language is functional, sufficiently communicates the main idea but tends not to capture subtlety or nuance.

This is a particular challenge to contemporary Bible readers because Jesus was probably not speaking Greek, but Aramaic and the Greek we are reading in translation was not written until many years after the death of Jesus.

When the linguistic challenge is combined with a profound difference in social and cultural context, our ability to fully understand Jesus encourages both a creative imagination and some real humility.

Just two examples: in these verses the word translated as "sinners" is the Greek hamartolos. It is an adjective (not a noun as translated). It can mean to make a mistake, to wander, to miss the mark, fail to observe certain rituals, or to be profoundly wicked.

The word translated as righteous is dikaios. This can mean law-observing, traditional, correct, innocent, virtuous, just, or faultless.

When Jesus was speaking in Aramaic a half-century before these Greek words were selected, what was the meaning Jesus intended? What was the main idea of this teaching? What is Jesus saying to us?