The reading is from the beginning of a passage in which Jesus strongly criticises the Pharisees for their hypocrisy. We need to remember, on the one hand, that not all Pharisees were like this. But we also need to be aware that the Gospel was written for us Christians and that the warning is for the 'Pharisees' in our own communities, not to mention any traces of pharisaism that may be in each one of us. Few of us will be totally free from these weaknesses. Among the criticisms is that they do not practice what they preach. In this, Jesus says we should follow their teaching but not their example. "Do as they say but not as they do." It is something that few of us could claim never to have done. Another weakness is their pursuit of status in the community and to have people look up to them and bow to them. Have we ever insisted on being given the respect we think is our due? But Jesus says we should avoid all titles and have as our only concern looking after the wellbeing of others. That is what He means by 'service'. For a Christian the quality and level of our service is the only test of our greatness.