(Mat)‬ ‭9‬:‭11‬-‭13‬ ‭CJB “When the P’rushim saw this, they said to his talmidim, “Why does your rabbi eat with tax-collectors and sinners?” But Yeshua heard the question and answered, “The ones who need a doctor aren’t the healthy but the sick. As for you, go and learn what this means: ‘I want compassion rather than animal-sacrifices.’ For I didn’t come to call the ‘righteous,’ but sinners!”

Religion gets in the way of knowing God when we begin trusting what we do for God rather than what Jesus Christ has done for us.

We attend church faithfully.

We confess our sins and recite prescribed prayers.

We follow religious traditions.

We work hard to be moral people.

We give money, volunteer, and perform good deeds.

And sometimes, we make sure other people know about it!

None of these activities makes us righteous before God.

Yet how easily we begin measuring our relationship with God by our religious performance.

We feel righteous when we’re doing well. We feel condemned when we’re not.

Worse, we begin comparing ourselves with others, believing our religious accomplishments make us more acceptable to God.

That’s the very self-righteousness Jesus confronted.

Religion Gets in the Way of Knowing God When We Trust Our Performance

The Pharisees were meticulous about religious observance.

They knew the Scriptures. Followed religious traditions. Practiced public prayer. And worked hard to maintain their reputation for righteousness.

Yet they despised the very sinners Jesus came to save!

Imagine that.

God Himself was sitting at the table with sinners, and the religious leaders were offended!

Jesus wasn’t approving of their sin.

He was offering them something they desperately needed.

Mercy. Forgiveness. Reconciliation with God.

Jesus compared Himself to a physician.

Healthy people don’t need a doctor. Sick people do.

His point was unmistakable.

Until we recognize our sin, we won’t recognize our need for a Savior.

The Pharisees believed their righteousness distinguished them from sinners.

Jesus came to save sinners who recognized their need for Him.

Jesus Was Obedient, Not Self-Righteous

Jesus wasn’t opposed to obeying God’s commands.

He obeyed His Father perfectly.

But His obedience wasn’t religious performance designed to impress others or earn His Father’s acceptance.

It flowed from His perfect love for the Father and His determination to accomplish His will.

Jesus didn’t merely perform religious activities.

He lived in perfect fellowship with His Father.

And through faith in Christ, we are invited into a restored relationship with God.

We don’t become God’s children because we attend church, pray, give money, or behave morally.

We become His children by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

Our obedience doesn’t purchase that relationship.

Our obedience is the fruit of that relationship.

God Wants Compassion, Not Religious Performance

Jesus quoted Hosea 6:6:

“I want compassion rather than animal-sacrifices.”

God wasn’t rejecting the sacrifices He had commanded.

He was rejecting the idea that religious observance could substitute for genuine love, faithfulness, and obedience.

And religion gets in the way of knowing God whenever we make that same mistake.

We can attend church without loving God.

Pray without trusting Him.

Give money without generosity.

Perform good works while secretly craving recognition.

Even teach Scripture while failing to demonstrate God’s compassion.

James 1:27 describes pure religion as caring for the vulnerable and remaining unstained by the world.

True religion is not empty ritual.

It is faith expressing itself through love and holiness.

God loved us while we were still sinners.

He sent His Son to accomplish what our religious efforts never could.

Through Jesus, we receive forgiveness, reconciliation, and adoption into God’s family.

And having received His grace, we are called to extend that same grace to others.

Not because we’re better than they are.

But because we desperately needed the same Savior they need.

Run Today’s Play

Men, examine your motives today.

Why do you do the religious things you do?

To impress God?

To feel better about yourself?

To earn the admiration of others?

Or because you love the God who saved you?

Identify one religious activity you regularly practice.

Before doing it again, ask God to examine your heart. Then do it deliberately as an expression of gratitude and love for Him.

And find one person who needs the compassion of Jesus.

Show them mercy instead of judgment. Grace instead of condemnation. Love instead of superiority.

Don’t abandon obedience.

Abandon the belief that your obedience makes you righteous.

Stop trying to impress God with your religion. Start reflecting His character through your relationship with Him.

The goal isn’t to become more religious.

It’s to know God better so you can love and obey Him more.