162 Hanna Stettler b) Cleansing from Sin Ezekiel also promised that God would cleanse his people from their sins. Jesus’ intention to cleanse God’s people from sin becomes apparent in his call to repentance (Mark 1,14-15; cf. the call to individuals to follow him and to serve in the kingdom of God in Mark 1,17.20; 2,14; 3,13; 8,34). According to the Gospel of Luke, Peter, when called by Jesus, recognizes his own sinfulness in the presence of Jesus’ holiness (5,8). It follows that his call to discipleship involved an act of forgiveness (27). To the sinful woman who touches him, Jesus also grants the forgiveness of her sins (Luke 7,36-50). At the end of the story about Levi, Jesus states that he has come “to call sinners” (Mark 2,17 parr.). In Matthew and Luke the parables of the lost sheep (Matt 18,12-14 par. Luke 15,3-7), the lost coin (Luke 15,8-10) and the prodigal son (Luke 15,11-32), as well as the account about Zacchaeus (Luke 19,1-10) all demonstrate that Jesus had come “to seek and to save the lost”, namely sinners (cf. Matt 18,13 to Luke 15,7; Luke 19,10). He was looked upon as “a friend of tax collectors and sinners” (Matt 11,19 par. Luke 7,34). He sanctified people by having table fellowship with them, thereby bringing them back into communion with God (Mark 2,14-17 parr.) (28). In the opinion of the Pharisees Jesus defiles himself by having table fellowship with impure sinners (cf. Luke 7,39 with regard to the defiling effect of the touch of sinners)(29). More importantly, by doing so he seems to approve of their transgressions of the law. He, however, claims that he can forgive (27) Cf. I.H. MARSHALL, Kept by the Power of God (Worcester – London 1969) 37, 42. (28) On the significance of Jesus’ table fellowship with sinners cf. O. HOFIUS, Neutestamentliche Studien (WUNT 132; Tübingen 2000) 29-33. (29) Cf. DUNN, “Jesus and Holiness”, 185. J. KLAWANS states repeatedly that sinners are not ritually impure and that therefore contact with sinners does not endanger one’s ritual purity (cf. Impurity and Sin in Ancient Judaism [Oxford 2000] 137). However, S. WESTERHOLM “Clean and Unclean”, Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels (ed. J.B. GREEN – S. MCKNIGHT) (Downers Grove, IL. – Leicester, U.K. 1992) 131, correctly points out that even though “the attacks on Jesus’ association with sinners are not based on considerations of purity”, “it is self-evident that no one eating meals in such company could share the vision of those dedicated to preserve ritual purity at their meals”. Cf. HOFIUS, Neutestamentliche Studien, 28 (translation mine): “If the Pharisees refused to share a meal with someone who was not educated in the law, table fellowship with sinners would have been beyond question” (cf. Hofius’ reference to mDem 2,3; bBer 43b baraita; bSanh 23a ibid. 27, n. 43 and 44).