Q: In Matthew 23:9, Jesus tells His disciples, Call no man your father upon the earth, for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. But it seems absurd to prohibit people from calling their own father Father.
Plus, what about Elisha, in Second Kings 2:12? Elisha cried My father! My Father! as he saw Elijah being carried up into heaven by a whirlwind.
A: Elishas cry is a non sequitur for at least two reasons, First, Elijah wasnt on the earth at that moment; as II Kings 2:11-12 says, Elijah was being carried away into heaven. Its okay to refer to our departed forefathers and predecessors in the faith as fathers. They, like Elijah as he was situated as of II Kings 2:12, are not on the earth and thus Jesus prohibition in Matthew 23:9 doesnt apply to them. Second, Elijah and Elisha were in the old covenant, and can only be expected to be held accountable for the degree of revelation which had been given to them -- which did not, it seems, include what Jesus says here in Matthew 23:9.
The other part of the objection -- What about dear old dad? -- may be a natural objection to casual readers, but I think that in a passage where, in the surrounding context, Jesus is talking about stealing Gods spotlight, its just obvious that He is referring to the use of Father as a title in a religious hierarchy, not in ones family.
That but-I-don't-mean-to-forbid-you-from-calling-your-fathers-"Father" qualification is not explicitly stated because to Jesus early followers there was no need to state it; they simply understood, via common sense and an appreciation of the context, the limits to which the statement was meant to be applied. In the preceding verse Jesus prohibits the use of Rabbi. In the next verse, Jesus prohibits the use of Teacher. So, again, it seems natural and logical to figure that this verse in-between those two shares their focus and theme -- prohibitions of some titles in religious hierarchies. So its okay, when addressing ones dear father, to call him Father. But Christians should not use Rabbi or Father or Teacher as religious titles.
Yours in Christ,
Waterrock
Plus, what about Elisha, in Second Kings 2:12? Elisha cried My father! My Father! as he saw Elijah being carried up into heaven by a whirlwind.
A: Elishas cry is a non sequitur for at least two reasons, First, Elijah wasnt on the earth at that moment; as II Kings 2:11-12 says, Elijah was being carried away into heaven. Its okay to refer to our departed forefathers and predecessors in the faith as fathers. They, like Elijah as he was situated as of II Kings 2:12, are not on the earth and thus Jesus prohibition in Matthew 23:9 doesnt apply to them. Second, Elijah and Elisha were in the old covenant, and can only be expected to be held accountable for the degree of revelation which had been given to them -- which did not, it seems, include what Jesus says here in Matthew 23:9.
The other part of the objection -- What about dear old dad? -- may be a natural objection to casual readers, but I think that in a passage where, in the surrounding context, Jesus is talking about stealing Gods spotlight, its just obvious that He is referring to the use of Father as a title in a religious hierarchy, not in ones family.
That but-I-don't-mean-to-forbid-you-from-calling-your-fathers-"Father" qualification is not explicitly stated because to Jesus early followers there was no need to state it; they simply understood, via common sense and an appreciation of the context, the limits to which the statement was meant to be applied. In the preceding verse Jesus prohibits the use of Rabbi. In the next verse, Jesus prohibits the use of Teacher. So, again, it seems natural and logical to figure that this verse in-between those two shares their focus and theme -- prohibitions of some titles in religious hierarchies. So its okay, when addressing ones dear father, to call him Father. But Christians should not use Rabbi or Father or Teacher as religious titles.
Yours in Christ,
Waterrock
