Why Does Jesus Say, “Call No Man Father” (Matt. 23:9)?
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For my wife and me, our three kids said “da-da” before “ma-ma.” Their first word might have been something else, a simple one syllable word like “ball.” However, as we tried to teach our babies to talk, we naturally wanted to hear our own name, for the child to look at us and identify “mommy” and “daddy.” To the consternation of my wife, the “d” sound is easier to pick up and repeat, so our children said “da-da” first.
Speaking of fathers, Jesus makes a strange statement in the New Testament when he says, “Call no man father.” As Christians who seek to believe Jesus and the Bible, how extreme should we take this declaration? Other verses tell us to honor our earthly fathers, and the New Testament describes spiritual fatherhood, as well. While these verses might seem to contradict each other on the surface, Jesus said, “Call no man father” to highlight a higher truth and address our wayward hearts.
Where Does Jesus Teach, “Call No Man Father”?
Jesus teaches “call no man father” in Matthew 23:9. Yet he says this as part of a longer context of statements.
In verses 8-12, Christ instructs his listeners, “But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
The chapter’s broader context also clarifies the statement. Earlier, Christ points out how the Pharisees “tie up heavy burdens” for others but refuse to lift them themselves. They seek places of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues. The Pharisees were religious leaders with power and status. Some held official priestly titles, but many simply had been educated in a certain Jewish doctrine. The Pharisees performed outward deeds to be seen by others, and Jesus criticized their approach, contrasting it with true leadership of humility and service.
Jesus confronts their prideful religious culture. Leaders demanded lofty titles like “rabbi” or “father” to highlight their spiritual authority. But this was done out of pride, not love. Jesus calls his disciples to look to the true Father, the Lord, and the true teacher and leader, Christ. By saying, “call no man father,” he attempts to tear down the false and prideful religion that exalted men above God.
The Gospel has this running theme: Christ often criticized the Jewish religious leaders because they misused their authority. Instead of leading people to God and his Kingdom, they drew attention to themselves. He called them “blind guides” and “hypocrites” because their external show of righteousness hid their inner sin and pride. Jesus exposed this and often warned them, while simultaneously revealing to his followers what true leadership looked like—humble, loving, kind, self-sacrificial. Christ’s model of leadership gave glory to God, not humans.
In his teaching in Matthew 23, Jesus calls his disciples to a higher reality, which the religious leaders should have done. God alone is the source of fatherhood, authority, and teaching. Disciples see themselves as brothers and sisters and are called to serve in humility rather than demand titles for themselves. As James teaches, God resists the proud but exalts the humble (James 4:6).
What Does the Bible Say about God as Our Father?
Jesus saying, “call no man father,” also points to another major theme of his ministry. More than any prophet or teacher before him, Jesus urged his disciples to call God “Father.” This reveals the new and intimate relationship believers have with God through Christ. In the Gospel and the new covenant, upon repentance and submission to God, believers are “born again.” Followers of Jesus become new creations and are born of God by the Spirit. In this, Christians are children of God, and God becomes their eternal Father.
When teaching on prayer, Jesus instructs his followers to pray to the Father. “Pray then like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name” (Matthew 6:9). Jesus encourages his disciples to pray like a child coming before a loving, holy Father. God’s people are no longer distant subjects or separated through a priesthood or veils. Through the Son, God’s people can come to him as beloved children in a family. Requests flow from this intimate relationship.
The apostle John reinforces this. “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12) Through the Gospel, believers have a new identity as children of God, who becomes their Father. In John 20:17, after his resurrection, Jesus tells Mary Magdalene, “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” Through Christ’s work, disciples like Mary become children of the Father like the Son, a new reality.
Disciples are born supernaturally, by the Spirit, but they are also chosen. The apostle Paul uses the model of adoption to reveal this chosen nature of a disciple’s relationship with Christ (Romans 8:15-16). In a similar verse, Paul talks about the intimate and loving relationship with the Father (Galatians 4:6): “Because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’” “Abba” expresses a deeper intimacy, like a baby or young child saying “Daddy!”
Jesus also encourages his disciples with how the Father cares for them. In Matthew 7:11, he says, “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” As much as people might love their kids and seek their good (overwhelmingly so!), God loves his children abundantly more, and he will work for their provision and blessing, in this life and the next.
Believers have an astounding privilege: to call God Father.
Can We Call Spiritual Leaders “Father” in the Modern Day?
In Matthew 23’s context, Jesus clearly criticized false religion and prideful leaders, those who used the titles of “rabbi” and “father” to gain power and control. Looking at the whole of Scripture, Christ wasn’t telling his disciples to dismiss and dishonor earthly or spiritual fathers, both of which the Bible teaches about, as well.
Scripture speaks about honoring earthly fathers, showing how God values family. One of the ten commandments declares, “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.” (Exodus 20:12) The fifth commandment highlights a core need to respect and obey earthly parents as part of covenant with God. Honoring earthly fathers honors the source of fatherhood, the Lord.
Paul teaches something similar in Ephesians 6:2-3, calling this the first commandment with a promise. For people to honor their parents, God promises they will have a good life. Honoring earthly fathers means respecting their authority, valuing their wisdom, and caring for them in old age. “Listen to your father who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old.” (Proverbs 23:22)
In the New Testament, Scripture highlights spiritual fathers, especially through Paul, who described himself as a spiritual father to the church he planted in Corinth (1 Corinthians 4:15). He brought them the Gospel and taught them the faith. Yet Paul called himself father because of his love and self-sacrifice, risking his life to lead them to Jesus. Being a spiritual father is about guiding others to maturity in Christ, rooted in love (1 Thessalonians 2:11-12).
Paul also called Timothy a son in the faith (1 Timothy 1:2). Paul led Timothy to Jesus and then mentored him in the faith and ministry. In his second letter to the young man, Paul reminds Timothy of his sincere faith passed down from his grandmother and mother and Paul’s influence. Timothy ended up being a trusted and anointed partner with Paul in the apostolic work. To be a spiritual father to an individual means investing in the growth of another believer and providing correction, encouragement, and direction as Paul did for Timothy.
With these examples, the Bible calls believers to approach the father/child relationship from the model of God and his people. When Jesus calls his disciples to the one Father, he desires for them to be earthly and spiritual fathers who reflect the heart of God, which will glorify the Lord.
Why Do Catholics Call Priests Father When the Bible Says "Call No Man Father"?
Christians started calling priests “father” in the 2nd and 3rd centuries. In the East, monks addressed elders as abba. The Greeks named important bishops papas, from which we get “pope.” For Latin speakers, pater was used for senior monks and other leaders. By the Middle Ages, Europeans commonly called priests, abbots, and friars “father.” In English-speaking areas, parish priests were often addressed as “sir” or “mister,” while “father” was reserved for higher religious stations. Irish influence especially led to “father” being standard when Catholics addressed all clergy.
Regarding Jesus’ warning to “call no man father,” Catholics point to the context of the "Call No Man Father" passage, where Jesus teaches against people seeking status and titles, as we’ve discussed above. For Catholics, the same passage forbids “teacher,” but we know the New Testament commissions teachers (Ephesians 4:11). Stephen addresses “brothers and fathers” (Acts 7:2) in his speech, and believers honor “our father Abraham” (Romans 4:12). Catholics say calling a priest “father” expresses pastoral care without challenging God as Father.
Yet the term “father” has become a title of sorts, at least related to what Jesus mentioned. And while the New Testament lists teachers as a God-ordained role, it doesn’t do the same for leaders using “father.” Nowhere does the biblical church apply the title “father” to a whole office or role of leadership. Paul names himself “father” only in the specific situation where he personally led people to Christ and started the church, also remembering his suffering and self-sacrifice in such endeavors. To apply the term “father” to leaders who attain an organizational position must come from outside the Bible, and is additionally questionable when looking at Jesus’ teaching to call no man on earth father.
What Does it Mean to “Call No Man Father”?
To call God “Father” is one of the most profound realities of our faith. It goes further than recognizing him as Creator, although that is part of it. While all people are made in God’s image (Genesis 1:27), Scripture shows a different model for a Christian. Being a child of God requires a new birth. Calling God Father flows from the miracle of rebirth by the Spirit and being chosen and adopted. Through repentance unto and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and by the Holy Spirit, we are born again into his family.
Therefore, this relationship makes God our truest and eternal source. Earthly fathers give physical life and nurture us in time, and yet this remains temporary and physical. God gives spiritual life that lasts forever. Jesus highlighted this when He told Nicodemus, “Unless one is born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God.” (John 3:3) Being born again provides us a new identity as sons and daughters of God. Unlike earthly relationships that end in death (marriage, parenthood, etc.), our bond with the eternal Father will never be broken. We remain his children forever, secure in his love and power.
Calling God “Father” also means honoring him above all else. He is the true provider, protector, and guide for our lives Earthly or spiritual fathers should echo the Father, but God exemplifies them completely. To live as God’s children is to trust and obey him while reflecting his character to others. We grow up in Christ to love others as the Father loved us.
In this, the Bible calls us to honor the earthly and spiritual fathers provided by God. The heart to honor these temporary fathers ultimately honors the one Father. For a related example, a husband and wife loving each other reflects the higher reality and marriage of Christ and the Church. When we get to the heavenly kingdom in fullness, we will no longer be married (Matthew 22:30), yet we will always live in the love between Christ and the Church. At the same time, God expects us to love and respect husband and wife in this life. Similarly, to honor spiritual and earthly fathers reveals an eternal reality and truth.
Loving, healthy, and godly family relationships on earth reflect God and point back to him for worship. Our priority must be to openly call God our Father and honor him in all we do, including how we love and serve others.
Peace.
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