As they departed from God, the Jews in a great degree lost sight of the teaching of the ritual service. That service had been instituted by Christ Himself. In every part it was a symbol of Him; and it had been full of vitality and spiritual beauty. But the Jews lost the spiritual life from their ceremonies, and clung to the dead forms. They trusted to the sacrifices and ordinances themselves, instead of resting upon Him to whom they pointed. In order to supply the place of that which they had lost, the priests and rabbis multiplied requirements of their own; and the more rigid they grew, the less of the love of God was manifested. They measured their holiness by the multitude of their ceremonies, while their hearts were filled with pride and hypocrisy.

Efterhånden som jøderne vendte sig fra Gud, mistede de i høj grad læren i den rituelle tjeneste af syne. Denne tjeneste var blevet indstiftet af Kristus selv. Enhver del af den var et symbol på ham, og den havde været fuld af livskraft og åndelig skønhed. Men jøderne gik glip af det åndelige liv i deres ceremonier og klamrede sig til de døde formaliteter. De stolede på selve ofringerne og forordningerne i stedet for at hvile i ham, som de viste hen til. For at kunne sætte noget i stedet for det, som var gået tabt, mangedoblede præsterne og rabbinerne deres egne krav, og jo strengere disse blev, jo mindre åbenbaredes Guds kærlighed. De bedømte deres egen hellighed efter ceremoniernes antal, medens deres hjerter var opfyldt af hovmod og hykleri.