Note 7 at Mt. 27:6: Here again (see note 2 at Jn. 18:28, p. 461), we see the Jews attending to the smallest detail of the law while grossly violating the two foundational principles of the law (Mt. 22:37-40). They thought nothing of shedding the blood of an innocent person, but were very concerned about being defiled by the blood money. Attention to detail at the expense of the more important matters of the heart is always a characteristic of legalism (see note 21 at Mt. 23:26, p. 391).