They worship Me in vain, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men" (Matthew 15:7-9).
It is important to note, as previously mentioned, that the evangelists and apostles did not provide a direct translation. Nor did they adhere strictly to the LXX interpreters whose work was known at that time. As observant Jews and knowledgeable of the Law, they expressed their ideas in their own terms while retaining the original meanings. The Jewish people may approach God verbally, claiming to honor one true God and reject idols; however, their hearts remain distant from Him because they do not accept the Lord Jesus Christ. For those who reject the Son also reject the Father. We must understand how one can truly approach God or be distanced from Him. The Lord states through Jeremiah, "I am a God who is near, and not a God who is far off" (Jeremiah 23:23). Yet, we come near to God in our minds rather than through our physical presence, as noted in the account of Moses: "Moses alone drew near to God; the others did not come near" (Ex. 24:2). He worshiped God sincerely and approached Him with his heart and spirit.
However, those who have been elevated since birth, instructed from a young age in the Law of God without drawing near to Him, adhere to the traditions of the Pharisees and scribes, which lead them astray. They resemble whitewashed tombs, outwardly beautiful but filled with decay on the inside (Matthew 23:27) - those who chose Barabbas and rejected the Lord. Therefore, He warned that He would not only relocate them to Assyria and Babylon but also scatter them across the globe. According to the Hebrew scripture, He indicated that He would evoke awe among the Jewish people and perform marvelous wonders, obliterating the wisdom of those who have disregarded the power and wisdom of God, making the wise unable to perceive Him as revealed in the letter (1 Cor. 1:19). This means not that God opposes wisdom, of which He is the source and by whom all wisdom is established within humanity, but rather that He addresses the wise among the people and the esteemed leaders of Israel.
Indeed, God performed great wonders among the people following the arrival of their Savior, coinciding with the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple as the teachers' doctrines crumbled. This fulfilled the prophecy, "Behold, the Sovereign Lord of Hosts will remove from Jerusalem and Judah support and sustenance: the whole supply of food and water; the mighty warrior and the soldier, the judge and the prophet, the diviner and the elder, the captain of fifty, the distinguished counselor, the skilled artisan, and the clever enchanter" (Isa. 3:1-3).
THEOSIS