Even in ministry so many of us can be accused of name dropping or surrounding ourselves with the right people to show the other people that we're important. We try and leverage our own ministries by our association with the "important" people in the church world.
I love that Jesus leverages his ministry completely opposite of that. He hangs out with the outsiders to prove that his mission isn't about hanging out with "important" people. It's almost as if he makes sure that the Pharisees see him eating with the sinners in order that he may give his mission statement to them.
So good. So convicting. How would my ministry be different if I cared about my street cred as Jesus cared for his own?

Mark 2:13-17