They love the places of honor at dinners, the foremost seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the marketplaces.
Jesus continues to describe the Pharisees’ false piety, showing that their driving force was not love or faith, but ambition for glory. They loved the first places as a sign of honor and superiority. At that time (and even now), at banquets the first couches were reserved for high-ranking guests, and in the synagogues the first seats were taken by those who were regarded as an example for the people. The Pharisees were striving not for service, but for prominence. For them, faith had become a convenient means to gain human respect and dominance. Even receiving greetings in the marketplace served the same purpose: to obtain public recognition. This word reminds us that true greatness before God is not measured by place or title, but by humility and service.