Matthew 23:9 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven.

NIV: And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven.

NASB: And do not call anyone on earth your father; for only One is your Father, He who is in heaven.

CSB: Do not call anyone on earth your father, because you have one Father, who is in heaven.

NLT: And don’t address anyone here on earth as ‘Father,’ for only God in heaven is your Father.

KJV: And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.

NKJV: Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.

Jesus has paused from exposing and condemning the Pharisees and scribes to command His disciples to do one thing differently in the future. He has said that these official "teachers" of Israel love the title of "rabbi." It means they have achieved a level of status in Judaism that comes with power over others. It feeds exactly what drives them: their own thirst for recognition and honor. In contrast, Jesus has told the disciples not to call anyone "rabbi." For one thing, they have only one teacher: Jesus Himself. For another, they are all brothers. He does not want them taking positions of status and authority above each other.

In addition, Christ tells His disciples not to address anyone as "father" on earth. This is because they have a Father in heaven, meaning God, Jesus' own Father. Jesus does not mean no one may refer to a parent as "father." He is specifically addressing the practice of referring to religious leaders and mentors as "father" in any formal or official sense. What's forbidden is an attempt to give one of Jesus' followers a spiritual status above that of others.

It's suggested that great teachers or rabbis of the past, along with the patriarchs of Israel, were sometimes called "the fathers" during Jesus' era. Jesus wants that name—and more importantly, that reverent attitude—to be reserved for God alone.

This does not forbid anyone from occupying positions of authority in the church. In fact, Jesus has given and will continue to give great authority to His disciples, who will become known as the apostles. The danger being condemned is in using titles as the Pharisees used them: to draw praise and honor to themselves and to buttress their own authority. Jesus emphasized to His disciples repeatedly that, in His kingdom, leadership always takes the form of servanthood (John 13:12–16; Matthew 23:11).

Matthew 23:1–12 begins Jesus' condemnation of Israel's religious leaders, summarized with the phrase "the scribes and the Pharisees." He warns those listening not to follow their example, since they don't practice what they preach. Their words imply heavy burdens, but their actions don't reflect the same. They make no effort to help others fulfill those requirements. In fact, everything they do is for show: only to be seen and approved of by others. They make a great show of religious clothes and symbols, jockey for the seats of honor everywhere they go, and take enormous pride in their prestigious spiritual titles.

After thoroughly dismantling scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees in debate, Jesus even more thoroughly condemns these religious leaders for their religious hypocrisy. They do all their religious acts and works to be seen and approved of by other people. Jesus pronounces God's judgment on the scribes and Pharisees in a series of seven "woe to you" statements. He repeatedly calls them "blind" and "hypocrites." He concludes with a lament for Jerusalem and her children who rejected His protection. God's judgment is coming.

Matthew 23 concludes Matthew's multi-chapter account of all of Jesus' interactions in the temple during the last week before His arrest and crucifixion. After silencing the religious leaders with parables and brilliant responses (Matthew 21—22), He pronounces God's judgment on the scribes and Pharisees in a series of seven "woe to you" statements. Jesus mourns for the judgment that will come on Jerusalem for her rejection of God. This leads Jesus to leave the temple, sadly remarking on its impending destruction (Matthew 24:1–2). As the disciples ask about this, Jesus begins an extended teaching on the end times in chapter 24.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.