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Call no man father.
“Call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.” Matthew 23:9
You may call some folks father.
“Honour thy father and thy mother.” Exodus 20:12, Deuteronomy 5:16, Ephesians 6:2
“And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father.” 2 Kings 2:12
“And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them?”
2 Kings 6:21
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Solution:
Once again, the skeptic has taken one of Jesus’ sayings out of context. Here is more of that passage from which it
came:
“But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. And call no man your father
upon the earth: for one is Father, which is in heaven. Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.”
(Matthew 23:8-10)
These verses immediately follow Jesus’ description of the Pharisees and scribes. These teachers of religion to the
people were often called all of these names: Rabbi, father, and master. Father was a common designation for them because,
often, pupils would be trained from a very young age by one of the “masters”. Such was the case with Elisha.
It is in this sense that Jesus did not want his followers to call someone “father”. The scribes and Pharisees
were puffed up by it, and the honor of a spiritual Father should be given to God only. What was an acceptable designation
before was now corrupted by the teachers of Jesus’ day, and that’s why He made the change.
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