I tell you that one greater than the temple is here. If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy not sacrifice’ you would not have condemned the innocent. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.
Matthew 12:6-8
We have become a people obsessed with traditions, rituals, complicated performances and external exhibition of our religious beliefs. All these practices have become synonymous with the worship of God, yet none of these things are actually important or meaningful. We are yet to realise that the only tools necessary in the worship of God is our hearts and minds. No additional external trappings need to feature in the equation. Traditions and rituals do not matter. God wants our hearts. Jesus advocated that we are not meant to worship God through empty performances and spoke of this new way of worship that would render the old method of worship obsolete. It was as though he was prophesying a transition in spiritual order or a new spiritual awakening that would take hold in our world. The order of worship in the past was just a shadow of future possibilities.
The miracles were not simply healing the flesh. Jesus was delivering the truth to those whose hearts were open to receiving the truth. In sin we are sick, but without sin we are made whole again. When we wake up the spirit and accept the truth we die to the body and rise up again in spirit and truth. Sickness and illness takes hold of us as soon as we are born, it is inherent in us, so when we wake up the spirit and are born of spirit and truth it takes time to eradicate illness.
