Can We Call Another Man "Father?"

Matt. 23 1Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2"The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. 3So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4They tie up heavy loads and put them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.

What if you heard your preacher concerning other preachers, say, “Listen to what they say, just don’t do what they practice.” That would be interesting, don’t you think? This is what Jesus said to His disciples regarding the Pharisees and scribes in Matthew 23. What did Jesus mean?

Well, first of all, notice in verse 3, Jesus’ uses the word “So” (NIV); the NASB uses the word “therefore.” Christ is referring back to what He had just mentioned. The so-called teachers of the law sit themselves in the “seat of Moses.” In other words, they self-appoint themselves as “teachers of the law.” “So,” or “therefore,” when they teach the law, which would be the information contained in the first five book of the bible (Genesis to Deuteronomy), listen to what they say. They are using the Word. They are teaching the Word, therefore, listen to them. However, in terms of practice, they don’t do what the Word says, therefore, “don’t do what they tend to practice.”

Here is a classic example of what all bible teachers often face – the disconnect between teaching the Word and living it. We are good when it comes to teaching the Word and pointing out to others their sins, but when we have to apply our own teachings to our own lives, now that’s another story. This is why all throughout Matthew 23, Jesus refers to these self-proclaimed teachers of the law as “hypocrites” (vv. 13, 14, 15, 23, 25, 27, 28, 29).

In our small groups or LTGs (Life Transformation Groups), we weigh in heavily on the intake of God’s Word. We read several chapters during the week and often more if someone in the group missed a few chapters the previous week. As a result of reading so much, we are also accountable to live out what we read. It is not enough to simply consume the Word of God and not be affected by it. Is it possible to be consumed by the Word and not affected by it? Yes, remember what Jesus said concerning the seed (God’s Word) in Matthew 13? The seed fell beside the road and the enemy came and snatch away the seed before it could produce any results (vv. 4, 19).

Jesus was describing the condition of a person’s heart. If you merely hear the Word, but you don’t take time to understand it and how it applies to your life, Satan comes along and snatches or steals the seed and a person is left empty. So Jesus’ statement to His disciples is so fitting. Hear what they teach, just don’t do what they do – which is, hear the Word and not understand and practice it.

9And do not call anyone on earth your 'father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven.

Is it wrong to call someone your father? In a biological sense, no, of course not. Then what did Jesus mean when He stated, “Do not call anyone on earth “father?”

First, the Pharisees were prideful leaders. They sat themselves in the seat of Moses (v. 2), they practiced their righteousness before others in order to be noticed (v. 5); they love honorable positions at parties and banquets (v. 6), and they love “titles,” such as “Rabbi,” “Teacher,” and “Father.”

So this is what Jesus is saying. “These teaches of the law are NOT your source of spiritual life. They did not begat you spiritually. You are not the product of them or of any of their efforts. You are not their offspring, therefore, don’t refer to them as “your father” in the sense that it shows you came from them or that they are your spiritual source. They are not. If such men were your spiritual source and you are their spiritual children, then you would be like them. Is that what you want? A child ends up like his or her father to some degree. Do you want to be like the Pharisees? I just told you not to do what they practice. So don’t call them father because you are not anything like them. As a child of God (the one who actually begot you), you are His offspring. Call God your father. He is the true source of your spiritual life.”

Second, because the Pharisees were so into themselves and had all kinds of pride issues, Jesus is warning His disciples not to help them out by giving them more reasons to feed their pride. If you call them “father” to indicate that you are dependent on them and that they are your source of spiritual life and growth, you will only feed the monster inside of them. Stop it! These people are already filled with pride, don’t give them more reasons to hang onto it.

Therefore, if you call the person who brought you into this world as “your father,” that’s okay, nothing wrong with that. He is the source of how you got here physically. If you call a person on earth “your pastor,” that’s okay, he is the source God is using to help you to grow in spiritual matters. If you call someone who brought you to Jesus “your father,” that is fine too, because God used that person to lead you to Christ, and thus, he with God’s help “begat” you into the kingdom.

Paul referred to Timothy as his “true child in the faith” (1 Tim. 1:2). Why? Because Timothy was saved under Paul’s ministry. God used Paul to spiritually “begot” Timothy, therefore, Timothy was Paul’s son or child, not in a biological sense, but IN THE FAITH. It wouldn’t be wrong for Timothy to affectionately refer to Paul as “my father,” in the sense that Paul was and is God’s tool for his spiritual source.

One more passage. Check out this one from 1 Corinthians 4:15-16: “15Even though you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. 16Therefore I urge you to imitate me.”

How this? Make sense now? Paul says, “you may have lots of tutors, but you only have one spiritual father – and that’s me. It was through the gospel that I became your father. So therefore, imitate me.”

This is what Jesus was telling His disciples. Don’t practice what the Pharisees do. Therefore, don’t call them “your father” because if you do, then you will live like them. Consider God to be your true source of life.” Then later on, God turned the disciples into spiritual fathers themselves and their children had spiritual objects whom they could imitate in the faith.