“Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven,” Matt. 23:9.

Every so often, a goodhearted Protestant will post this verse in the comment section of my social media. “Matthew 23:9, what are you doing, brother?” “Call no man father … whatever Jesus!” I appreciate their concern for my Biblical awareness. It’s very thoughtful and heartwarming.

At the root of their deep concern is a strictly literal interpretation of our Lord’s words in the opening section of the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 23. The complete section says, “They (the Pharisees, my note) love the best places at the feast, the best seats in the synagogues, greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’ But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren. Do not call anyone on earth father, for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ,” (Matt. 23:7-11).

The injunction in this verse seems clear: “Do not call anyone (no man) on earth father.” If interpreted literally, then “no man” on earth could ever be called “father.” This prohibition would also include biological fathers, as the verse states, “no man.” None. Zero. Sorry, Dad. But even “Dad” is a derivative of “father” and also could be subject to this command! And so, we would need to call our “Dads” only by their first names. The Bible said.

If this verse were indeed a strict absolute, then the prohibition must be consistently upheld throughout the entirety of Scripture. If the authentic force of the verse is truly that no man can ever be called father, then this principle must be upheld, without contradiction, in the Scripture. Yet, the Lord Jesus Himself commands, “For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother,” (Matt: 19:5); the Lord repeatedly teaches the Godly standard of “Honor your father and mother,” (cf. Matt. 15:4-6; 19:19). The Lord Jesus clearly applies “father” to biological fathers as a legitimate title. Yet, this would be a self-contradiction of His own words, seemingly commanding “call no man father.”

In Mark 11:10, the Hebrews cry out, “Blessed is the kingdom of our father David.” This would be a violation of Matt. 23:9. The Virgin Mary sings prophetically, “As He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and his seed forever,” (Lk. 1:55). This would also be a violation. The righteous Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, proclaims, “To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember His holy covenant, the oath He swore to our father Abraham” (Lk. 1:72-73). Again, a violation of “call no man.”

The Scriptures record concerning the raising of Jarius’ daughter, “When [Jesus] entered the house, He permitted no one to go in except Peter, James, and John, and the father and mother of the girl,” (Lk. 10:51). This would again be a violation of the injunction, “no man.”

St. Paul writes to the Ephesians, “And you, fathers, provoke not your children,” and he repeats the commandment, “Honor your father and mother” (cf. Eph. 6:4,2; also Col. 3:21). St. Paul has no qualms about calling biological fathers, “father.” In the book of Hebrews it very clearly says, “We had human fathers who corrected us, and we showed them respect,” (Heb. 12:9). But if the Lord Jesus’ words in Matthew are understood literally, Paul would be in violation of them because the Lord clearly said, “call no man father,” and Paul is calling some men “fathers.”

Even most of our Protestant friends will concede that the forbidding of calling biological fathers, “father,” is not the force of the Matthew 23:9 statement. The Scriptures themselves are clear that biological fathers may be called “father.” And so, “no man” is not literally followed in the Scriptures and even in general Protestant usage. Yes, some may say, because it is a prohibition against the title “father” as an honorific. You can call your dad, father, but it can’t be used for a priest or the like! And so, “no man” comes to mean, call no man who is not your biological father, father (especially if he is a priest!). Thus, even most Protestants make a seemingly special clause for this verse; Jesus is saying, “call no man by the honorific title of father.” Ah! So possibly a person cannot use “father” to denote a spiritual fatherhood?

In the book of Acts, the Apostles themselves proclaim, “The God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers” (cf. Acts 3:13,22,25; 5:30; 7:20). Abraham, Issac, and Jacob are called “fathers” by the Apostles. This is both by lineage and spiritual reality.

In Romans 4:11, Paul calls Abraham the “father” of all those who believe, even those not of direct Hebraic lineage. He also quotes the Lord as saying, “I have made you [Abraham, my note] a father of many nations,” in 4:17 (referring to Gen. 17:5). He gives to Abraham the honorific title of “father.” In Romans 9:10, St. Paul uses the same title for Issac. The Romans church is a mix of Gentiles and Hebrews; thus, “father” indicates a spiritual reality; it is a title of spiritual honor.

In 1 Corinthians 4:13, St. Paul proclaims, “For though you may have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do no have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.” Paul asserts his spiritual fatherhood over the church of the Corinthians, and considers himself their “father” in the faith. He does the same with the Thessalonians when he exhorts them, “As a father does his own children” (1 Thess. 2:11).

In Paul’s epistle to the Philippians, he clearly indicates that he is a spiritual father to Timothy, “But you know his proven character, that as a son with his father he served me in the gospel,” (2:22). He calls both Timothy and Titus his “sons,” a son clearly indicates a father, (cf. 2 Tim. 1:2; Titus 1:4). St. Paul once again uses “father” to indicate a spiritual relationship and reality, specifically with Timothy and Titus.

St. John writes in his epistle, “I write unto you fathers, because you have known Him that is from the beginning,” (1 Jn. 2:13-14). It seems clear in this instance that he is using “father” to indicate one who is mature in the faith. He uses it to indicate a spiritual reality and stature.

And so we see that the Scriptures also utilize the title “father” in a non-biological manner. It also indicates a spiritual relationship, and is in that sense used as an honorific. “Father” indicates one who has a deeper experience in the faith and has a certain capacity to guide others in the faith. So, in the Scriptures, “father” is commonly used for both biological and spiritual relationships.

Of tangential interest is the fact that the Matthew verse also states, “Call no man teacher,” and yet teacher is commonly utilized as a title and spiritual office in the New Testament (“Rabbi” is a Hebraic title for “teacher” or “master”). Certain Protestants will most willingly call some person a “teacher” and simultaneously refuse to call a man (usually a priest) “father.” That is a double standard. Teacher is manifestly listed as a spiritual office, cf. 1 Cor. 12:28; Eph. 4:11; 1 Tim. 2:7. The use of “Teacher” as a spiritual gift and function would be a violation of “call no man teacher”.

So what does the Matthew verse mean? Clearly, the greater context of the chapter is the Lord’s rebuke of the Pharisees; the core issue was spiritual pride. In this context, the Lord is warning against the sinful and passionate desire to be called father or teacher, “and the eager pursuit of every possible means to acquire the name” (cf. Blessed Theophylact). It is addressing the spiritual pride of possibly claiming to have a “new” teaching; this is indicated in the rebuke of the Pharisees for supplanting the revelation of Moses with their own new teaching. For example, they instituted a new teaching to circumvent the Divine command to honor one’s father and mother, “But you say ‘If a man says to his father or mother, Whatever profit you may have received from me is Corban (that is a gift to God), then you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother” (Mark 7:11).

Moreover, the Lord is addressing the ultimate source of Truth, which does not spring forth from man. The only sure and authentic source of Truth is God Himself. God is Truth. Inasmuch as men abide in and participate in the Divinely revealed Truth of Jesus Christ, they become participators in the truth. But never the sources of it. St. John Chrysostom, commenting on the Matthew verse, says, “That they may know Whom one ought to call Father in the highest sense.” Bl. Theophylact reiterates this when he writes, “For the dignity of the office of ‘teacher’ belongs chiefly to God … He is not prohibiting the honor given to parents, since He desires that we would honor our parents especially our spiritual fathers; rather He is inducing us to acknowledge the true Father, namely, God.”

St. Paul proclaims, “For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom every family in heaven and earth is named” (Eph. 3:14-15). Bl. Theophylact comments, “Thus God the Father Himself created every family in heaven above and on earth below; and everyone called ‘father’ derives that name from Him.” In the ultimate sense, only God the Father is truly and essentially Father. A multitude of men in the created order share in varying degrees, through both biological and spiritual fatherhood, in this One Fatherhood. Earthly fatherhood only exists because it flows from the Eternal Fatherhood of God the Father.

God, the Holy Trinity alone is the authentic source of instruction and revelation. No man can be the prime source of Truth. Thus, only Jesus Christ, God incarnate, is capable of authentically and truly teaching humanity. His teaching is the teaching of the Father because, “The Father and I are one” (Jn. 10:30). The Lord Jesus is the only one to have fully revealed the faith that is “Once for all delivered to the saints” (cf. Jude vs. 3). The Lord Jesus is the only head of the Church, which is His mystical body, “The fullness of Him who fills all things” (cf. Eph. 1:22). All those involved in the pastoral care of His Church are but stewards, who are permitted by Him to participate in His grace of Pastorship. But no man is in the place of Christ, no man is the vicar of Christ, nor is a man the “head” of the Church. Thus, the Matthew verse is reiterating the exclusive Divine revelation of Christianity, which is not of “man,” but rather it is directly from God. The Second Person, the Divine Son, of the Holy Trinity became incarnate and revealed the fullness of truth to humanity. This is the unique claim of authentic Christianity: God Himself became man and revealed the fullness of truth to humanity. In the ultimate reality, only Jesus Christ is the teacher and master of Truth. He is the only One; He speaks in total harmony and with one will with the Heavenly Father. This is the only authentic source of truth. In all other religions, a simple man receives a “special” revelation from God (or gods) typically through a mediator of some sort, such as an “angel”.

I ask a simple question of those who desire to learn the Orthodox Christian Faith: Name the man who started Orthodoxy? No one simple man can be named.

Then I ask a few other questions. Name the man who started Lutheranism. Martin Luther. Name the man who started Calvinism. John Calvin. Anglicans? Henry VIII. Anabaptist? Conrad Grebel, Felix Manz, and George Blaurock. Baptist? John Smyth and Thomas Helwys. Mennonites? Menno Simons. Methodists? The Wesley brothers. Mormons? Joseph Smith. Jehovah Witnesses? Charles Taze Russell. Pentecostals? Charles Parham and William Seymour. And the list could go on. I hope you see the point. Every group traces its founding to a man or a few men. Every one of these groups could not exist if some man did not claim to have a new “special” revelation of some sort (consistently claiming to restore “true christianity”).

With no historical or mental twister games, the founder of the Orthodox Church is the God-Man Jesus Christ. Contrary to the multitude of denominations, all of which were born after the 16^th century founding of Protestantism, no simple man is the founder of the Orthodox Church. Yet, simple men are the founders of every Protestant denomination, which is also consistent with every other world religion. Thus, Protestantism is in Scriptural violation of the injunction to “call no man father.” Every denomination is calling some man father and teacher; they are calling some man the source of their denominational claims (of course, “based on the Bible!”). For example, to be Mormon, you have to believe in a man, Joseph Smith. You have to believe that he had an extraordinary revelation by an angel that somehow “restored” the “truth.” The whole of the Mormon system hinges on the special “revelations” to Mr. Smith. All your eggs have to be in the Mr. Smith basket. Without him, there is no Mormonism. Yet, this basic principle applies to every Protestant denomination. Somehow, somewhere (in Europe or America) some man got the true interpretation of the Bible by “special” revelation! Amazing! (And, yes, by the way, Mormons are Protestants, although they are not Christians. The Mormon system is the result of the Protestant system of calling men “father and teacher”. Numerous groups under the Protestant system deny Christian teachings, of course, because a special revelation of some man told them to!)

Thus, the Orthodox Church is the only one fulfilling the authentic meaning of the Matthew verse commanding, “call no man father or teacher.” The singular founder –father and teacher– of the Orthodox Church is Jesus Christ Himself. Although many men and women in Orthodoxy have become participants in the truth of Jesus Christ, and in doing so have been good stewards and teachers of the Revelation of Christ, none of them can be considered the “founder” of the Church. This is the exclusive and unique reality of the Orthodox Church.

Thus, the command to “call no man father” has nothing to do with simple titles. Rather, it is calling Christians not to look to simple men as founders or ministers of some new special revelation. It is teaching not to follow men who exalt themselves to a place of having a “special” revelation, because when people do this, they are attributing to a man that which was the singular and unique work of Jesus Christ, who alone reveals the truth once for all times.

(The authentic Church has had a long history of struggle with those who would exalt themselves and a novel teaching, such as Arius. These men of old were members of the Church but left it because they insisted on their own “revelation” as opposed to the Revelation alive in the Church. Thus, there is consistently a challenge to the Revelation of Christ, even in the history of the Orthodox Church. Even the Scriptures warn us about this, and it should not surprise us. Many heresies are also called by the men who engendered them, such as Arianism, Nestorianism, Montanism, and so forth.)