While the Israelites at one time ignored God’s commandments, by Jesus’ time their “doctors of the law,” the scribes, had gone to the other extreme. They had formulated a mountain of rules and traditions that obstructed pure worship and buried godly principles. (Matthew 23:2, NEB) People felt resigned to failure, hopelessness, or hypocrisy. (Matthew 15:3-9) And many of the man-made rules were inhumane. When about to cure a man with a withered hand, Jesus asked the Pharisees present: “Is it lawful on the sabbath to do a good deed?” Their silence shouted no, making Jesus feel “thoroughly grieved at the insensibility of their hearts.” (Mark 3:1-6) The Pharisees might come to the aid of a stranded or injured domestic animal (a financial investment) on the Sabbath but never to a man or a woman—not unless it was a matter of life and death. Indeed, they were so obsessed with human rules and technicalities that like ants scurrying about on a painting, they failed to see the whole picture—the divine principles.—Matthew 23:23, 24. Why not read all of Matthew chapter 23 to get Jesus viewpoint.
