And call no man your father on the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.
call.
2 Kings 2:12 And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces.
2 Kings 6:21 And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them?
2 Kings 13:14 Now Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he died. And Joash the king of Israel came down unto him, and wept over his face, and said, O my father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof.
for.
Matthew 6:8,9,32 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him…
Malachi 1:6 A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the LORD of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name?
Romans 8:14-17 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God…
for you have one Father
This phrase underscores the unique and singular role of God as the spiritual Father of all believers. It reflects the intimate relationship between God and His people, a theme prevalent throughout Scripture. In the Old Testament, God is often referred to as the Father of Israel (Deuteronomy 32:6, Isaiah 63:16), highlighting His role as creator, protector, and provider. In the New Testament, this relationship is deepened through the teachings of Jesus, who frequently refers to God as "Father," emphasizing a personal and relational aspect (Matthew 6:9, John 20:17). This phrase calls believers to recognize and honor God as the ultimate source of life and authority.
who is in heaven
This phrase locates the Father in heaven, distinguishing Him from earthly figures and emphasizing His divine nature and authority. Heaven is often depicted in Scripture as the dwelling place of God, a realm of holiness and perfection (Psalm 11:4, Revelation 4:2). By identifying God as the Father "who is in heaven," the text reinforces His transcendence and sovereignty over all creation. This heavenly perspective invites believers to focus on eternal values and divine wisdom, as opposed to earthly status and human traditions. It also connects to the Lord's Prayer, where Jesus teaches His disciples to address God as "Our Father in heaven" (Matthew 6:9), reinforcing the idea of God's supreme authority and the believer's relationship with Him.
• Jesus is speaking to His disciples within earshot of the crowds and the religious leaders who loved lofty titles (Matthew 23:5-7).
• The prohibition targets the use of “father” as an honorific that elevates a human leader to ultimate spiritual authority.
• It does not negate the rightful, God-given role of biological fathers (Ephesians 6:2-4) or respectful social address (Acts 7:2).
• The Lord places limits on titles so that no one on earth usurps the reverence, dependence, or submission that belongs to God alone.
• Cross references: Matthew 23:8 “You are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers.” 1 Peter 5:3 warns shepherds not to “lord it over those entrusted” to them.
• Jesus immediately supplies the reason: believers already possess a single, sufficient Father.
• God alone is the ultimate Source of life, authority, identity, and provision (Malachi 2:10; Acts 17:28-29).
• Recognizing one Father guards unity in the body of Christ—no factions around charismatic personalities (1 Corinthians 1:12-13).
• When spiritual leaders remember they are siblings under one Father, they serve rather than dominate (Matthew 20:25-28).
• The location underscores God’s transcendence and superiority to every earthly structure (Isaiah 66:1).
• Our hearts are drawn upward, reminding us that true citizenship is heavenly (Philippians 3:20).
• The phrase also assures us of the Father’s perfect perspective and resources, encouraging childlike trust (Matthew 7:11; James 1:17).
• By directing attention heavenward, Jesus frees us from misplaced reliance on human systems and titles.
Jesus’ command in Matthew 23:9 is a loving safeguard. He forbids using “father” as a religious title that assigns ultimate spiritual authority to any person, because believers already have one perfect, heavenly Father who deserves their full trust, allegiance, and honor. Keeping this focus preserves humility among leaders, unity among believers, and wholehearted dependence on God alone.
(9) Call no man your father.--This also, under its Hebrew form of Abba, was one of the titles in which the scribes delighted. In its true use it embodied the thought that the relation of scholars and teachers was filial on the one side, paternal on the other; but precisely because it expressed so noble an idea was its merely conventional use full of danger. The history of the ecclesiastical titles of Christendom offers in this respect a singular parallel to that of the titles of Judaism. In Abbot (derived from Abba=Father), in Papa and Pope (which have risen from their application to every priest, till they culminate in the Pontifex summus of the Church of Home), in our "Father in God," as applied to Bishops, we find examples of the use of like language, liable to the same abuse. It would, of course, be a slavish literalism to see in our Lord's words an absolute prohibition of these and like words in ecclesiastical or civil life. What was meant was to warn men against so recognising, in any case, the fatherhood of men as to forget the Fatherhood of God. Even the teacher and apostle, who is a father to others, needs to remember that he is as a "little child" in the relation to God. (Comp. St. Paul's claim in 1Corinthians 4:15.)Verse 9. - Your father. This was the title given to eminent teachers and founders of schools, to whom the people were taught to look up rather than to God. It was also addressed to prophets (2 Kings 2:12; 2 Kings 6:21). In ver. 8 Christ said, "be not called;" here he uses the active, "call not," as if he would intimate that his followers must not give this honoured title to any doctor out of complaisance, or flattery, or affectation. Upon the earth. In contradistinction to heaven, where our true Father dwells. They were to follow no earthly school. They had natural lathers and spiritual fathers, but the authority of all comes from God; it is delegated, not essential; and good teachers would make men look to God, and not to themselves, as the source of power and truth.