Jesus eats with sinners?

Matthew 9:10 Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

So what is the big deal here?  The religious leaders seem to think you cant possibly eat with tax collectors & sinners, but why?  Aren't we all sinners?  Well, in this day, eating a meal together was one of the most special interactions one could do amongst friends & family. No knives to cut bread, you passed it around the table, each breaking it apart piece by piece, no doubt exchanging germs along the way.  You would injest each others germs.  Well, so this is the rift, to eat with sinners meant to partake of them in a sense.  Be infected not only biologically but spiritually as well.  Up to this point, none had spiritual life to give but here is Jesus.  Jesus will never be unclean by toughing an unclean vessel.  The only way to clean us sinners up is a touch from Him.  If we are waiting to be clean before coming to God, that will never happen!  Jesus gives the simple explanation of what is truly taking place here:

12 When Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

Do you acknowledge your sickness of sin?  Do you know that you also need a doctor?  You actually need a Savior!  Jesus came for all humanity.  Some will benefit from Him yet some refuse to acknowledge their sickness.  For those who think they are righteous, well you go on believing that lie!  For us who knows we are sinners, Jesus came for sinners like us, in whom we are chief!