What happened to the nation's spiritual Leadership?

 Read Matthew 15.

Jesus was teaching in Galilee.  A select committee of the Pharisees and scribes traveled from Jerusalem to confront Him.  After all, thousands were following Jesus wherever He went.  The Temple only saw such crowds at appointed days.  Curiosity turned to jealousy and then to outrage.  The questions they leveled at Jesus were not for information but for condemnation. 

God's design in Exodus was to give Israel His word on how to worship and live for Him.  He gave them instructions for the Tabernacle (replaced by the Temple) as the one and only place for sacrifices.  He appointed a priesthood to serve the people, to teach His word, and to provide spiritual leadership for the nation.  In Jesus' day, those three elements were lost and replaced with politicized groups who jockeyed for positions of influence.   

Here are the issues in conflict.
1. Fear vs. Faith.
Instead of serving the people, the coalition of religious leaders from the Temple used coercive tactics to threaten their fellow Jews to conformity.  They abused the people with their power by forbidding some to come to the Temple, kicking them out of the synagogues, or even stoning a person to death.  This they did without any human accountability.  For the most part, the people feared these who had been appointed to serve them.

Then, Jesus came.  He had no appointed position from the Temple.  He did not graduate from their schools.  He was not a follower of one the esteemed Rabbis.  He just showed up and served to meet the needs of the people.  No wonder the people flocked to Him.

2. Control vs. Compassion.
The religious leaders were all about control.  They used fear to make the people do what they wanted.  Never mind what God wanted.  With the Roman government in charge, there existed a competition for the lines of authority over the nation.

Then, Jesus came.  The miracles were never used to draw a crowd.  They were confirmations of the message and authority of Christ.  The motivation behind the miracles of Jesus was His love for the people. 
"When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them..." (Matthew 9:36)
"...he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick." (Matthew 14:14)
"I have compassion on the crowd..." (Matthew 15:32)

3. Outward vs. Inward.
At the very root of the disagreement between the religious leaders and Jesus was the authority of their beliefs and behaviors.  It is blatant in this passage that they followed "the tradition of the elders" (v.2) instead of the Scriptures for their authority of faith and practice.  The leadership was divided among the legalists (Pharisees) and liberals (Sadducees).  Over time, each adhered to what others said about the Scriptures, rather than being discipled in God's word.  This led to them to place the teaching of men above the teaching of God. 

Then, Jesus came.  He called them back to the Scriptures and reminded them of the original intent.  It is His word they were ignoring and violating!  Such a forthright response offended them (v.12).  But the seriousness of this sin warranted such bluntness.  They were not only offending God but they were leading the people into gross error.  It is the word of God to which they (and we) will be held accountable at the judgment (v.13).