Ministry titles and the clergy-laity distinction: what Jesus really forbade in Matthew 23

Mike reads Matthew 23 in its context: Jesus is rebuking the Pharisees' love of public honor, marketplace greetings, distinctive clothing, and elevated seating — the creation of a spiritual caste where clergy are superior Christians. Jesus' prohibition targets the heart posture of superiority, not the functional use of descriptive titles. The New Testament itself uses titles (apostle, elder/overseer/bishop, deacon, pastor-teacher in Ephesians 4; 1 Timothy 3) appropriately. Mike notes elder and overseer/bishop are the same office in context. The danger Jesus warns against is real and recurring: people automatically assume the pastor is the most godly person in the room, which is not warranted by having a teaching gift. True servant leadership pushes against rank-consciousness. The body of Christ is a kingdom of priests (cf. Galatians 3:28) — no person holds a higher status as a Christian.