Matthew 23:15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.
When preparing their presentations, the Rabbis did not ask themselves the question: How will this draw persons closer to God, and how will it impact their lives in a manner that would produce growth, faith and obedience that comes from the heart? Instead, they would spend hours fiddling with those linguistic technicalities that would give persons the impression that they were learned men.
They would focus on tradition and technicalities of the law while the spirit of the law found no entrance whatsoever into their own everyday experience. And as a result, their instructions were vague, and without authority, and they were not able to reach the heart.
Thus, when individuals went to church, it was more format than substance, more husk than kernel that was being presented, and people often left church more frustrated, empty, and discouraged than when they first came. This is what prompted Jesus to utter the following words.
Matthew 23:13 But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.
May The Lord add His blessing to the study of His word. God bless!