Do not call anyone father?

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Hoonbaba

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Hi guys,

What did Jesus mean by "And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven." (Matt 23:9)?

I noticed that protestants generally look at that and attack Catholics, yet they don't realize they're also attacking Eastern Orthodoxy, and Anglicans/Episcopalians. :) In anycase, I don't think the passage is command to never call your father as , "father".  That seems ridiculous.

In anycase, anyone have any thoughts on this?

God bless!

-Jason
 
nyj

nyj

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Originally posted by Hoonbaba
Hi guys,

What did Jesus mean by "And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven." (Matt 23:9)?

I noticed that protestants generally look at that and attack Catholics, yet they don't realize they're also attacking Eastern Orthodoxy, and Anglicans/Episcopalians. :) In anycase, I don't think the passage is command to never call your father as , "father".  That seems ridiculous.
Click to expand...

Acts 7:2
And Stephen said: "Brethren and fathers, hear me. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopota'mia, before he lived in Haran...

Stephen would have made a good Christian if he had just obeyed Jesus and not called any man "father".

Romans 4:12
and likewise the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but also follow the example of the faith which our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.

Paul too would have made a good Christian if he had not gone ahead and referred to Abraham as "our father".

1 Corinthians 4:15
For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

For this very comment, I am sure Paul is burning in hell now.

Call No Man Father? - http://www.catholic.com/library/Call_No_Man_Father.asp
 
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Hoonbaba

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Originally posted by nyj
Acts 7:2
And Stephen said: "Brethren and fathers, hear me. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopota'mia, before he lived in Haran...

Stephen would have made a good Christian if he had just obeyed Jesus and not called any man "father".

Romans 4:12
and likewise the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but also follow the example of the faith which our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.

Paul too would have made a good Christian if he had not gone ahead and referred to Abraham as "our father".

1 Corinthians 4:15
For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

For this very comment, I am sure Paul is burning in hell now.

Call No Man Father? - http://www.catholic.com/library/Call_No_Man_Father.asp
Click to expand...

Hi NYJ,

I was already aware of the verses, but thanks for sharing them anyway :)  I'm particularly interested in how the Matt 23:9 passage is understood.  The link seemed to help a bit!  Thanks =)

-Jason
 
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kern

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That's what I don't get about this complaint -- people who understand it to mean literally the word "father" and nothing else, as if the scriptures were written in English originally.

Sort of like those who consider "you fool" to be one of the most objectionable phrases in the English language because of that verse where Jesus says something like "Anyone who says to his brother 'you fool' is in danger of the hellfire" (or whatever the KJV has for it).

-Chris
 
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Hoonbaba

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Originally posted by Br. Max
if we are to literally call NO MAN father - every time you address your paternal parent as anything other than their name or HEY YOU, you are sinning. DAD and daddy are just OE familiar forms of the word father. Pop is also a derivative of the word father.
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Br. Max,

I'm fully aware of what you're saying but what does Matt 23:9 literally mean?? :scratch:

-Jason
 
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isshinwhat

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I think it means we are to realize that all fatherhood and all teaching ultimately has its source in God. It was a belief of the ancients that man actually gave birth to new knowledge, or was the vessel for ethereal knowledge that existed, but was finally being revealed through men. I believe Christ was saying that all we see should point to God, and not man. It is not our wisdom that accomplishes anything, nor are our children ours. Both are gifts from God, and we only have them through His grace and mercy. We do not create them, we only act as vessels for them. To God all is known, to Godall are His children. We are small potatoes, and we cannot forget that. At least, that's my perspective...

God bless,

Neal
 
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Hoonbaba

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Originally posted by isshinwhat
I think it means we are to realize that all fatherhood and all teaching ultimately has its source in God. It was a belief of the ancients that man actually gave birth to new knowledge, or was the vessel for ethereal knowledge that existed, but was finally being revealed through men. I believe Christ was saying that all we see should point to God, and not man. It is not our wisdom that accomplishes anything, nor are our children ours. Both are gifts from God, and we only have them through His grace and mercy. We do not create them, we only act as vessels for them. To God all is known, to Godall are His children. We are small potatoes, and we cannot forget that. At least, that's my perspective...

God bless,

Neal
Click to expand...

Potatoes!?!? LOL!!

-Jason
 
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dignitized

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what does it really mean? Welp, I think it goes to your motivations. Motivations are key with the Lord. The Jews were fond of constantly referring to their fathers to put weight behind what they were saying. Father Abraham father Jacob father david . . . . They used these men to give authority to what they spoke. The Lord warns them call no man father – not because He alone is a father – but because ULTIMATELY he is the final authority.

That’s a quick and relatively simple take on that verse, albeit not the only one. I mean there is so much packed into these verses that it is hard to cover it all with one explination.
 
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