This third witness finds Jesus reprimanding the Jewish religious authorities on resting on their study of Scripture; their meticulous study of Scripture, yet they stood sentenced. What was so wrong with their interpretation of the Scripture? Answer. They studied it and applied it so they could be pious, moral people. They studied it and sought to obey it to receive the praise of man. They studied it to feel better about themselves.
What’s wrong with that? They failed to see “they that bear witness about me [Jesus]”4; “you do not have the love of God within you”5; “you will receive him [the person who flatters you]”6.
