Mercy over Sacrafice

Matt 9:13 "Go and learn what this means, I desire mercy and not sacrifice. For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners."
vs 34 "But the Pharisees said "He casts out demons by the prince of demons."

The Pharisees thought they knew "the formula" to get God to act. They had mastered the law and everyone knew they were in a place of position. Their knowledge and position became the stumbling block and kept them from being able to see who Jesus really was. How sad that they had spent so much time learning the ways of God but yet they didn't recognize His own Son. I found it sad that they knew the law in text and theory, but the ways of God had not changed them... they were not transformed by God but were robots of the law, unteachable for what God had truly intended for His people.

I took 2 things from this:
1. I need to experience God in my life. I need to not only read His Word and study the things of God but I need to see that God is working around me; healing people, loving people back to Him, rescuing people, defending His people - He is alive and relational. He desires a relationship with us. If I just look to the Word but never looked for the fruit of that word around me, I would miss the whole experience of God and who He really is. Jesus was an example of the experience of God. The law fulfilled.

2. So powerful where Jesus says "Learn what this means - I desire mercy, not sacrifice." Jesus wanted us to break free from the law. He wanted to give mercy because that represents something that would happen in a relationship. God wants a relationship with us. Why? So He can reveal Himself to us. I need both - His word and I need to experience God, His word at work.