One of the pitfalls of religion is that often it is more about men than about God. The focus is more on the code, the norm, the customs and traditions, than a personal relationship with God. Religion gives the impression that for as long as all the do's and don't have been complied with, I am "okay" with God.
This is very much what Jesus is against. God doesn't need our perfect rituals or our unblemished conscience. God doesn't even need our good works. It is we who need those good works because they are expressions of how "the mind and the heart" of Jesus have become our own.
What does God want of us? A contrite heart and a humble spirit; that is, an acknowledgment that all that we are depends on Him. God wants us to live in gratitude and trust. These are not negative qualities of dependence, but a realistic acceptance of the truth.
