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“Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven” (Matthew 23:9). Throughout history, including all the years since Jesus uttered these words, we have referred to others on earth as father.
We use the title, father, in various contexts. For example:
I don’t think many Christians, at any time in the history of the Church, have objected to calling one’s biological male parent as father. If we agree on this, then we must conclude that the passage is not meant to be taken literally. Yes, we begin with the literal sense of what was said, but then we move to a deeper meaning.
Something else is meant. It is the place of those who have authority from God to determine, if possible, what Jesus meant. The Church has performed this task and it is clear that she does not believe that Jesus meant to restrict the use of father to God alone with no other possible uses. We are taught to call our priests, fathers. So, to faith we seek to add understanding.
So, what did Jesus mean?”
First, let’s look at two other verses from this same passage:
Continued below.
We use the title, father, in various contexts. For example:
- In our secular lives, we refer to others as father: City Fathers when referring to our municipal leaders, the Father of our Country, for example, when Americans refer to George Washington, the first president of the United States and Founding Fathers, for example, when referring to those leaders who came together to form a new nation.
- In our family lives, we refer to the male parent—biological or adoptive—as father.
- In our religious lives, particularly for Catholics, from the earliest of times, we have referred to our priests as father, in the Eastern Catholic Church both priests and deacons are called father, in some cases the head of a male religious community is referred to as abbot (derived from abba—meaning father or daddy) and the Bishop of Rome as Holy Father or Pope (for papa). In the early Church, it was the practice to call all bishops papa.
I don’t think many Christians, at any time in the history of the Church, have objected to calling one’s biological male parent as father. If we agree on this, then we must conclude that the passage is not meant to be taken literally. Yes, we begin with the literal sense of what was said, but then we move to a deeper meaning.
Something else is meant. It is the place of those who have authority from God to determine, if possible, what Jesus meant. The Church has performed this task and it is clear that she does not believe that Jesus meant to restrict the use of father to God alone with no other possible uses. We are taught to call our priests, fathers. So, to faith we seek to add understanding.
So, what did Jesus mean?”
First, let’s look at two other verses from this same passage:
Continued below.
Call No Man Father?
“Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven” (Matthew 23:9). Throughout history, including all the years since Jesus uttered these words, we have referred to others on earth as father...
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