Have you considered that perhaps the Scribes and lawmakers began a "new religion" when they began fiddling with the Ten Commandments? There are no laws in the Ten Commandments, those came later.
An early Christian summed it up by noting when we love God first (always) we can do as we like. Because...when we put love of God first and foremost, everything else falls into place. When we love God with our whole heart, our whole soul, our whole being, everything else springs from that love.
We see in the Gospels, Jesus had trouble, not with loving God and doing the will of God (he laid down his life for that), but with with Scribal Law...the counting of seeds, how far to walk on the Sabbath, how many letters that can be legally written and still be within the Law.
We see, absolutely, Jesus came to change how the Law was being practiced, the burden that the law was placing on people, especially the poor. Love of God, love of one's fellow man was his theme. Yes. Absolutely, that is the theme of Judaism, but the Law Scribes were adding to "Love God" were muddying the waters.