"Call no man 'Father'?"

This question is one that a lot of people wonder about- so let's break it down.

Matthew 23:8-10 does say "Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven," when translated into English. In this verse, Jesus was emphasizing that no one has ultimate authority but God alone, not saying that we literally can call no one our father.

We know this because there are MANY verses in the Biblical texts, including the New Testament, where people other than God alone are referred to as "Father"

For example...

1 Corinthians 4:15, Paul refers to himself as a spiritual father.

In Acts 7:2, Stephen refers to "our Father Abraham."

And there are so many more examples of this.

The point that Jesus was making was that our spiritual leaders, earthly fathers, and teachers, are not to REPLACE God, but rather to lead us to Him with humility and gentleness! It was also to discourage the Scribes and Pharisees from their prideful view that they were the ultimate judges and authority.

This teaching is why, though priests are spiritual fathers, just as the apostles were to the Early Church, they are NOT God, and they are NOT perfect! God is our Father, and He's entrusted our care to His Shepherds and spiritual Fathers on earth.

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