Matthew 23:9

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Permalink Reply by feet breath on June 1, 2012 at 12:18pm

I just call my dad "dad" instead of father.

Take this with a grain of salt. But, maybe it said "honor your father..." because that was the old testament and Jesus said that in the new? Come to think of it did anyone call God "Father" in the Old Testament? Maybe it was ok back than because they didn't call God Father (unless there's scipture for that) until Jesus came to the earth. And, when He came to earth we could finally call God Father because we could finally be freed because of what Jesus did for us. And, than that's how we get our relationship with our Heavenly Father.

 

Just a thought. Like I said take it with a grain of salt becuase I may be wrong.

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Permalink Reply by Carla on June 1, 2012 at 2:37pm

Hi Jenny,

Great Question!  This article from www.gotquestions.org takes a stab at answering it..  Hopefully you will both find it helpful.

 

Question: "Did Jesus mean that we should never refer to our earthly
father as 'father' (Matthew 23:9)? Is it wrong for Catholics to refer to their
priests as 'father'?"

Answer: It would be confusing for God to
give the fifth commandment in Exodus 20:12: "Honor your father and your mother, so that you
may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you” and then later in the
Bible to restrict us from calling our earthly father “father.” Matthew 23:9 states, “And do not call anyone on earth
'father,' for you have one Father, and He is in heaven” (Matthew 23:9). The context of Matthew 23:9 tells us that referring to your biological father
as “father” is not what Jesus is speaking about.

In Matthew 23:1-12, Jesus is denouncing the Jewish scribes and
Pharisees for rejecting Him as their Messiah, in particular for their hypocrisy
in elevating themselves above others with titles such as “teacher” and “master.”
The Jewish teachers affected that title because they supposed that a teacher
formed the man, or gave him real life, and they sought, therefore, to be called
“father,” as if they were the source of truth rather than God. Christ taught
them that the source of all life and truth was God, and they ought not to seek
or receive a title which properly belongs to Him.

This denunciation is
equally relevant for today. In no way should any person look up to, follow, or
elevate a human leader in any religious or church organization above Jesus
Christ. Jesus is the Head of the Church, His body, and our one and only Master
and Teacher. He alone is the author of our salvation, source of comfort in
difficulties and strength to live the Christian life, and the only One to whom
our prayers should be directed.

Roman Catholics call their priests
“father” and the pope is called “the holy father.” This is clearly unbiblical.
The priest as “father” is problematic. Catholic priests are doing precisely what
Matthew 23:9 condemns by allowing the term “father” in a
spiritual sense be applied to them. In no sense is a priest or pastor a
“spiritual father” to a Christian. Only God can cause a person to receive
“spiritual birth,” therefore, only God is worthy of the title of “Father” in a
spiritual sense.

In the case of the “holy father,” there is no doubt this
is decidedly unbiblical. No man can take on the title of “holy” anything,
because only God is holy. This title gives the pope a status that is never
intended for any man on earth. Even the Apostle Paul referred to himself as the
chief of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15) and cried out “Who will deliver me from this
body of death?” (Romans 7:14). Clearly, Paul made no claim to holiness.
Although as Christians we have exchanged our sin for the righteousness of Christ
(2 Corinthians 5:21), holiness will not be attained until we
are in heaven and have left the last vestiges of our sin natures behind. Until
then, the pope has no more holiness than the average Christian and is not
entitled to be called “holy father.”

But there is no reason not to call
our earthly parents “father” and “mother” because in doing so we are not giving
them an elevated title or position that belongs to God. Our earthly parents are
worthy of honor, not just on one special day of the year (Father’s Day, Mother’s
Day), but we are to honor our parents daily in the spirit of Exodus 20:12, Matthew 15:4, and Ephesians 6:1-3.

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Permalink Reply by Jenny on June 1, 2012 at 6:59pm

thanks so much, that really helped clarify:)

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Permalink Reply by Richard L. Broch, Sr. on June 17, 2012 at 6:02pm

Sister Carla,

Very well said........

 

Grace and Peace to you and Jenny.

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