Matthew 23:1-12

¹Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples. ²“The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat,” he said. ³“So you must be careful to do everything they say. But don’t do what they do. They don’t practice what they preach. ⁴They tie up heavy loads that are hard to carry. Then they put them on other people’s shoulders. But they themselves aren’t willing to lift a finger to move them. ⁵“Everything they do is done for others to see. On their foreheads and arms they wear little boxes that hold Scripture verses. They make the boxes very wide. And they make the tassels on their coats very long. ⁶They love to sit down in the place of honor at dinners. They also love to have the most important seats in the synagogues. ⁷They love to be greeted with respect in the markets. They love it when people call them ‘Rabbi.’ ⁸“But you shouldn’t be called ‘Rabbi.’ You have only one Teacher, and you are all brothers. ⁹Do not call anyone on earth ‘father.’ You have one Father, and he is in heaven. ¹⁰You shouldn’t be called ‘teacher.’ You have one Teacher, and he is the Messiah. ¹¹The most important person among you will be your servant. ¹²People who lift themselves up will be made humble. And people who make themselves humble will be lifted up.