The religious leaders are once again perplexed. First he's forgiving sins and acting like God, then he's eating with tax collectors and other worldly Jews whom the Pharisees considered unclean. To eat with an unclean person is to make yourself unclean, simply by touching the same dishes and the same food.
Jesus' comment essentially is, "That's what I'm here for--to save sinners, people who see their need, who admit their sin; you religious people think you're okay because you don't eat with sinners or hang with unclean people, but your hearts are far from me."
In our sinful flesh we definitely see ourselves as better than we are. We're always better than the people we compare ourselves to. Only with the help of the Holy Spirit can we see our sin.
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