In today’s episode we discuss tax collectors in Jesus’ time and why the Pharisees were offended with Jesus sitting at table with them. In examining the passage, “I desire mercy and not sacrifice,” we learned that this teaching is actually found throughout the Old Testament. Yet, as is the case today among Christians, the Pharisees narrowly focused on their own external traditions with little attention paid to caring for the poor and showing mercy. Finally, we unpacked the quote of Fr John Romanides that, “Authentic Christianity is the cure to the sickness of religion.”