Luke 15:2

King James Version (KJV)

And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.

Translations

Luke 15:2 - Amplified Bible

And the Pharisees and the scribes kept muttering {and} indignantly complaining, saying, This man accepts {and} receives {and} welcomes [preeminently wicked] sinners and eats with them.

Luke 15:2 - American Standard Version

And both the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.

Luke 15:2 - Bible in Basic English

And the Pharisees and scribes were angry, saying, This man gives approval to sinners, and takes food with them.

Luke 15:2 - Darby Bible

and the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, This [man] receives sinners and eats with them.

Luke 15:2 - English Standard Version

And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, "This man receives sinners and eats with them."

Luke 15:2 - King James Version

And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.

Luke 15:2 - La Biblia de las Americas

y los fariseos y los escribas murmuraban, diciendo: Este recibe a los pecadores y come con ellos.

Luke 15:2 - The Message

Luke 15:2 - New American Standard Bible

Both the Pharisees and the scribes {began} to grumble, saying, "This man receives sinners and eats with them."

Luke 15:2 - Nueva Biblia Latinoamericana de Hoy

Y los Fariseos y los escribas murmuraban: "Este recibe a los pecadores y come con ellos".

Luke 15:2 - World English Bible

The Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, "This man welcomes sinners, and eats with them."

Luke 15:2 - Young's Living Translation

and the Pharisees and the scribes were murmuring, saying -- This one doth receive sinners, and doth eat with them.`

Luke 15:2 - Additional Comments

Why did they react this way? There is an obvious disdain and distaste for these people. The Pharisees and scribes saw only that those who deserved it should have the graces of God, and that they did deserve it, but the tax collectors and sinners did not.
Men often react negatively when people get more good than they deserve, or when they do not get enough bad that they deserve. The Pharisees and scribes certainly viewed these people as deserving very little good, and plenty of bad. Jesus giving them hope was out of line with their view of this balance. Jesus came in and said all deserve all this grace, that all deserve the absolute best.
Many of the tax collectors and sinners were not even Jews, giving them even less hope in the eyes of the religious leaders. They received hope, undeserved hope, from Jesus. May we show all men this same hope, hope for goodness that goes way beyond what they deserve. We need to be careful never to exclude anyone from our efforts to draw people to God, or give preferential treatment to some, which I expect often happens in churches.
The Pharisees and scribes were inadvertently addressing Jesus as a peer, for they were suggesting He should not sit with the sinners, as they would not.
Note that even some of the most noble actions may be condemned, so don't be too surprised when your holy activities are condemned.

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