As for you, do not be called ‘Rabbi.’ You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers. Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven. Do not be called ‘Master’; you have but one master, the Christ. The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

Our protestant brothers and sisters love this line, they think it is a direct rebuke of Catholics, and our priests whom we call father. But this is not so, there is much more that needs to be considered here, before one could ever make that claim. First, let us first discuss what it means to be a Rabbi, Father, or Master. Many church fathers have said that these three titles refer directly to the three persons of the holy trinity. Father is obviously God in heaven, the great high king, and creator of the universe. Master is Christ Jesus, the incarnate god made flesh, who shows us the way to live our lives in accord with God the Father and His divine order. And the Teacher (aka, Rabbi) is the holy spirit, the paraclete that is with us always guiding us, teaching us, and showing us the way back to reconciliation with God.

What Jesus is saying in this passage is that a person should only be called by these titles, if they strive to live up to them, and ONLY to the extent that they personify these roles in their teachings and in the way that they live their lives. Concomitantly, Jesus is thus, rebuking the pharisees for not reaching that high bar. If you read the chapter prior to this reading Jesus had just been issuing a string of woes to them. He then, in this chapter, chastises them for widening their phylacteries, and lengthening their tassels. Tassel were known to be a sign of the torah, and the wearers knowledge of it. The pharisees would make their tassels long, and elaborate, in order to draw attention to themselves. Same with the phylacteries. These were little boxes that they would tie to their foreheads. These boxes contained tiny scrolls with lines from the torah inscribed on them. They were meant to be used only during prayer to bring the word of God close to the mind while praying. But instead of wearing them during pious prayer, they would instead, enlarge these boxes, and where them at all times, even when not praying, so as to draw attention to themselves.

These pharisees were making themselves into little demigods, and lording their “piety”, and knowledge of the law over the people, putting large burdens on the shoulders of the people, burdens that they themselves were not willing to help carry. Jesus is simply saying THESE evil men, are NOT your fathers, because they are not living up to the example of the one true Father, who is in heaven.

But what I find most remarkable about this passage is that He does not rebuke their role as keepers of the law. He says that because they occupy the seat of Moses that you need to listen to their teachings of the law, because they know it well, but that we should not follow their example because they are wicked men. They cant be called father because they dont care about their subjects, they cant be called master because they are not living holy lives, and they cant be called rabbi, because they are not living out the law that they so fervently teach. But since they are the current occupant of the office of lawgiver, and for that fact alone, they are to be shown respect… amazing!

Finally, to completely drive home the point, that Jesus is only talking about the pharisees and scribes and not proclaiming an edict against calling anyone Father. The proof for this simple fact is that the bible records Jesus Himself calling Joseph, His father. And He never rebukes anyone else in the bible for referring to their kin in this same way. There are many, many other examples of the old and new testaments where the great patriarchs call themselves and others Father. I think St. Jerome sums it up nicely in this quote. “Remember this distinction. It is one thing to be a father or a teacher by nature, [but] another to be so by generosity.” Just because you successfully participated in the creation of a new human, or because you occupy some position of authority, does not make you a father. Being a father requires a lifelong effort, of lovingly teaching right from wrong, and living out the role of father in your daily actions and example.

I can summarize this reading simply like this. To the extent that our earthly mothers and fathers teach and live the example of the father in heaven, they deserve the honor of being called Father as well. But if they exploit and pervert the authority that they are given, then they should be rebuked, and admonished because there is only one teacher and one Father in heaven, and that they are not allowed to share this honor if they are abusing their position.

So do not be discourage if someone challenges you with this line from the bible. Because context matters, and Jesus is not saying what they think He is saying. The answer is not that literal here, it is far more nuanced and complex.

Oh lord, help me today to witness your truth in my family, and to be a father to those that you have put in my life. Help me to live up to the honor of that title, Amen.