To investigate Jesus' associations with 'tax collectors and sinners' within the Jewish apocalyptic framework, Serhii Smahlo identifies the essential features of the gospel accounts and examines their alignment with an eschatological vision found in Jewish tradition. The overall survey reveals a consistent motif: it is the presence of 'unexpected participants, ' explained by Jesus in terms of reversal, that causes indignation among his opponents. Viewing this motif against the background of early Jewish eschatological expectations, Serhii Smahlo argues that Jesus' meals with 'unexpected participants' were a specific enactment of eschatological reversal, reflecting both a close connection to common apocalyptic expectations and a certain discrepancy from them, which might explain the conflict and rejection surrounding these events.
