“But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.”
And if you had known what this means: I desire mercy, and not sacrifice, you would not have condemned the guiltless. The Hosea 6:6 citation (already used in Matthew 9:13) is applied to the Sabbath controversy: the Pharisees who have condemned the guiltless disciples have prioritized the letter of the sacrifice-system interpretation over the mercy that the law fundamentally serves. The knowledge of what the Scripture means — not merely knowledge of its words — would have prevented the condemnation. Biblical literacy without theological understanding produces the same error as ignorance.
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