Albert Barnes Commentary Matthew 9:11

"And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Teacher with the publicans and sinners?" — Matthew 9:11 (ASV)

Why eats and drinks, etc. To eat and drink with others denotes intimacy and familiarity. The Pharisees, by asking this question, accused him of seeking the society of such men, and of being the companion of the wicked. The inference which they would draw was, that he could not be himself righteous, since he delighted in the company of abandoned men.