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.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

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