When Jesus Christ called Matthew, a tax collector, considered by the Pharisees as the scum of the scum, He demonstrated to these supercilious religious leaders that He had no qualms about associating with sinners, who needed His help more than the 'righteous,' the Levitical cultists, who valued rituals and man-made rules more than the legitimate laws of God, oblivious to the intent of Hosea 6:6 that Almighty God prefers mercy over sacrifice as well as a broken and a contrite heart over burnt offerings. The harsh religion of the Pharisees was mechanistic, systematic, and unfeeling, placing more attention on rituals and man-made laws, and had turned their over-righteousness into sin. The parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) and the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14) prove conclusively that the pompous Levitical cultists were clueless about the mandate of Hosea 6:6, valuing mercy over rituals, man-made laws, and animal sacrifice. God's called-out ones are to be living sacrifices, with His Law written in their hearts (Jeremiah 31:31-33; Hebrews 8: 10; 10:16), intrinsically compelled to do good, exercising mercy and compassion.