I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Matthew 23-24

Jesus repeatedly criticized those who did things in order to be seen by others as righteous.  As He describes them here they were continually telling people how much more righteous than everyone else they were.  They were meticulous at the ritual aspects of righteousness, but could not be bothered with those things which occurred out of the public eye.  They were insistent on being called, Reverend, or Teacher, or Father.  They wanted to be seen as being superior to others, as being able to mediate between the common person and God.  However, Jesus made it clear that sometimes the common people were guilty of setting such people up as superior to themselves.  That was just as wrong.  We should not allow others to call us Reverend, or Teacher, or Father, or some other honorific which suggests that we are better than they, but we also should not call anyone those things.  It is not just the titles, they are an indication of something more basic which has gone wrong.  Instead of seeking to be exalted by others, let us seek to serve them.