Do as I say, not as I do. Sounds like parents who have bad habits that they don't want their children to pick up!
But the scribes and the Pharisees are more than parents; they are the arbiters of the Law of Moses, the ones who decide what the commandments mean and how they are to be observed by the people.
So Jesus tells the people to listen to them when they are talking about the laws, but not to follow their example. He told them that everything they do, they do for show.
We've talked before about motivation and how God knows what is in our hearts. If we donate money to a charity and the only reason we do this is to get our names in the paper or to win a prize, we already have our reward.
There are those who put their life on the lines every day as first responders, and they consider this their job, and usually, they will talk about how they love their jobs, but they don't do it for the glory. There are others who are unsung heroes who risk their lives to help others, and often try to avoid getting their names in the paper because they claim it embarrasses them.
Today, I had an opportunity to speak with a friend whose life was saved because God let everything work together for good.
This woman called her friend who was in the hospital to check up on her and when she found out that she was being released offered to pick her up. On the way home, she suffered a heart attack and lost control of her car. Fortunately, her friend grabbed the wheel and was able to get it safely stopped.
Driving behind them was a nurse who had just left work. She stopped, called 911 and began CPR.
If my friend had not called her friend and driven her home, she would have suffered the heart attack alone in her home and would have died. The nurse who saved her life never gave anyone her name, she just went home.
What is important is to do the right thing. God knows what we do, and that should be enough.
