Jesus continues His diatribe on the Pharisees. He says to the people: “The scribes and Pharisees do observe the letter of the law completely.” However, Jesus then instructs the people not to follow the example of the scribes and Pharisees. He is angry with them and  criticizes the Pharisees for the many burdens they place on the people’s shoulders. And they do nothing to relieve the people of these burdens.
Jesus also is critical of their motivation for the good works they do. He believes that the Pharisees “do good” not to help the people but rather to be seen and applauded for their seemingly good actions. In addition, they love having the places of honour in the temple and at banquets. They wear long robes and they like having people defer to them. And they love to be called “Rabbi.” Jesus instructs His listeners: “Do not wish to be called Rabbi.” All are brothers and sisters and they are to be equals.
Jesus then says: “You have only one Father, who is in heaven.” And He adds: “You have but one master, the Christ. The greatest among you must be your servant. Anyone who exalts himself will be humbled and the individuals who humble themselves will be exalted.”
These words of Jesus may hit home with us. After all, don’t we also appreciate attention, compliments and even praise for the good we do? Jesus is not saying that compliments are bad,  but He wants us to look at our motivation for the good that we do. Jesus does want us to do good, to be helpful and caring of others and always out of love.
How many times a day do we do something simply because it is expected? Or we do it simply because it is our duty, our job or our responsibility. Jesus desires that every act we do is done in a loving and caring manner, even the activities we prefer not to do. The reality is that almost all of the loving acts we do are pretty small: being attentive to someone who needs attention, helping a neighbour with a job, striving to be patient with people who irritate us. 
Today let us consciously strive to be loving in our thoughts, words and deeds. 

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