Jesus’ most acute conflicts occurred with the Jewish religious leaders. God did not call us to become religious, but to become spiritual. Once again, this a monumental movement of heart. Compassion is Jesus’ gold standard. Those who know they are spiritual beggars are close to the Kingdom of heaven!
“As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man called Matthew, sitting in the tax collector’s booth; and He said to him, “Follow Me!” And he got up and followed Him. Then it happened that as Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples.
When the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, “Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?” But when Jesus heard this, He said, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: “I desire compassion, and not sacrifice, for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” – Matthew 9:9-13