How do we call the priest our father and the book says "And call no man your father upon the earth : for one is your Father, which is in heaven.." (Mathew 23:9) ?
Lots of the Protestant annotators say that Christ has forbidden to call somebody on earth "father" , so they chose other titles like " respected" , "pastor" etc..
But the superficial and literal explanation to this saying of the Lord means that we should never call any human on earth "father" whether he was a man of religion(spiritual father) or no. Because only the FATHER*who should be called like this.
If we took by this tight explanation we would find Saint Paul has controvert Jesus commandment ( or he didn't understand it on the Protestant way !) because he says " For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel" ( 1Corn 4 :15.) Here Paul calls himself "father" for those who he has begotten through the gospel. And he calls Timotheus and Titus "my son".
And John in his letter he uses word " little children " ( 1John 2: 12 & 14).
Also Paul calls our ancestors "fathers" to us ( 1Corn 10:1) "Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud…".
And he uses title "father" to speak to the fathers saying "Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged "( Col 3:21 ).
And the Lord Himself in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus He mentions thatthe rich man talked to Abraham saying " Father Abraham, have mercy on me, andsend Lazarus,,," (Luke 16:24) and Abraham didn't answer him saying " don't you know that only God the Father*who should be called father?" but answered the rich man saying "Son" (Luke 16:25)
■ And if we continue to read Mathew 23 :10 we will find" Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ ". but Christ Himself called Nicodemus " a master of Israel " (John 3: 10 )" Jesusanswered and said unto him, Art thou amaster of Israel, and knowest not these things ? "
And in the Church of Antioch there were " prophets and teachers " (Acts 13:1 )
Paul mentions that God hath set in the church " teachers" : in " And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers" (Eph 4:11 ) .. " And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers,,," (1 Corn 12 :28).
So Jesus didn't mean we should not call anybody "father" but God the Father, or anybody "master' but Christ.
Saint Paul and all the church didn't understand this saying of Jesus as how some people try to understand nowadays.
■ The question remains : what did Christ mean from saying this ?
The occasion in which Jesus said this explains to us its meaning, because Jesus was talking about the scribes and the Pharisees and He was criticizing their practices andteachings and how they use title 'father' or 'master' . He says in (Mathew 23 :2)" The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat ". and instead of teaching the law of Moses, they began teaching their own tradition(Mark 7: 8 + 9) " For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do .9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition " Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye" (Mark 7:13)
Therefore Christ was warning from using their positions in authority and their titles to make people around them disciples of them and of their traditions, not disciples of God and His law .
■ With the coming of Jesus, the men of religion had to teach " the apostles’ doctrine" ( Acts 2: 42) or "the doctrine of Christ" ( 2 John : 9) who He is the real "Master" and the real "Father" , and the men of religion are nothing but a living image of Him.
Saint John the Gold Mouth says " Because He (Christ) is the cause of everything, the cause of masters and the cause of fathers together "
Therefore every "teacher" and every "father" in the church is nothing but a living canal to deliver the teaching which came to him from Christ ' The Greatest Master' through the apostles, or in other words the "teacher" or the "father" in church is not the source of teaching but Jesus Christ Himself, through the Holy Spirit who is abided in the church . otherwise this teacher or father became under the same damnation that happened to the scribes and the Pharisees .
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* There's something I want to add, I don't know how much it will help giving further understanding of this subject but I love to mention it .
In Arabic word "father" means "Ab" as your father , my father it's "Ab". But when we speak to God and say Father, we use another word ( which has a different spellingand pronunciation) it's " AAb " *
word " AAb" means father but it refers ONLY to God.
So I can't use "AAb" to talk about/to my father or any father in this life , and of course priests are called "Ab"
■ Therefore the reason of calling priests "fathers" is not to give them honor or more respect than people or even few of the glory we give to God, not at all . The point of this is only to make the relationship more like father and a child, not a leader and a follower .
Because as we have fathers in body who raise us and teach us the rules and ways of life ,and look after us throughout our lives . the priests ( spiritual fathers ) are also the same, they raise us in Christ and teach us the ways of Jesus and look after us throughout our spiritual life to follow Jesus and reach the Heaven.
So let's not take Christ's sayings as list of words or rules and orders but open our hearts and mind to the real and deeper message which He is giving us. Because Jesus words are always very simple but the meanings and thoughts of His words are always much deeper than it seems
As Saint Paul says in 2 Corn 3: 6
" not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life "
The purpose of writing this is not criticizing one sect and defense the other ( because I don't talk in what I do not know, I only talk in what I learned and know ).
This was written as an honest and direct answer to those who have this question in their minds and I hope it will be clear enough to present the truth .
Lots of the Protestant annotators say that Christ has forbidden to call somebody on earth "father" , so they chose other titles like " respected" , "pastor" etc..
But the superficial and literal explanation to this saying of the Lord means that we should never call any human on earth "father" whether he was a man of religion(spiritual father) or no. Because only the FATHER*who should be called like this.
If we took by this tight explanation we would find Saint Paul has controvert Jesus commandment ( or he didn't understand it on the Protestant way !) because he says " For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel" ( 1Corn 4 :15.) Here Paul calls himself "father" for those who he has begotten through the gospel. And he calls Timotheus and Titus "my son".
And John in his letter he uses word " little children " ( 1John 2: 12 & 14).
Also Paul calls our ancestors "fathers" to us ( 1Corn 10:1) "Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud…".
And he uses title "father" to speak to the fathers saying "Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged "( Col 3:21 ).
And the Lord Himself in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus He mentions thatthe rich man talked to Abraham saying " Father Abraham, have mercy on me, andsend Lazarus,,," (Luke 16:24) and Abraham didn't answer him saying " don't you know that only God the Father*who should be called father?" but answered the rich man saying "Son" (Luke 16:25)
■ And if we continue to read Mathew 23 :10 we will find" Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ ". but Christ Himself called Nicodemus " a master of Israel " (John 3: 10 )" Jesusanswered and said unto him, Art thou amaster of Israel, and knowest not these things ? "
And in the Church of Antioch there were " prophets and teachers " (Acts 13:1 )
Paul mentions that God hath set in the church " teachers" : in " And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers" (Eph 4:11 ) .. " And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers,,," (1 Corn 12 :28).
So Jesus didn't mean we should not call anybody "father" but God the Father, or anybody "master' but Christ.
Saint Paul and all the church didn't understand this saying of Jesus as how some people try to understand nowadays.
■ The question remains : what did Christ mean from saying this ?
The occasion in which Jesus said this explains to us its meaning, because Jesus was talking about the scribes and the Pharisees and He was criticizing their practices andteachings and how they use title 'father' or 'master' . He says in (Mathew 23 :2)" The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat ". and instead of teaching the law of Moses, they began teaching their own tradition(Mark 7: 8 + 9) " For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do .9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition " Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye" (Mark 7:13)
Therefore Christ was warning from using their positions in authority and their titles to make people around them disciples of them and of their traditions, not disciples of God and His law .
■ With the coming of Jesus, the men of religion had to teach " the apostles’ doctrine" ( Acts 2: 42) or "the doctrine of Christ" ( 2 John : 9) who He is the real "Master" and the real "Father" , and the men of religion are nothing but a living image of Him.
Saint John the Gold Mouth says " Because He (Christ) is the cause of everything, the cause of masters and the cause of fathers together "
Therefore every "teacher" and every "father" in the church is nothing but a living canal to deliver the teaching which came to him from Christ ' The Greatest Master' through the apostles, or in other words the "teacher" or the "father" in church is not the source of teaching but Jesus Christ Himself, through the Holy Spirit who is abided in the church . otherwise this teacher or father became under the same damnation that happened to the scribes and the Pharisees .
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* There's something I want to add, I don't know how much it will help giving further understanding of this subject but I love to mention it .
In Arabic word "father" means "Ab" as your father , my father it's "Ab". But when we speak to God and say Father, we use another word ( which has a different spellingand pronunciation) it's " AAb " *
word " AAb" means father but it refers ONLY to God.
So I can't use "AAb" to talk about/to my father or any father in this life , and of course priests are called "Ab"
■ Therefore the reason of calling priests "fathers" is not to give them honor or more respect than people or even few of the glory we give to God, not at all . The point of this is only to make the relationship more like father and a child, not a leader and a follower .
Because as we have fathers in body who raise us and teach us the rules and ways of life ,and look after us throughout our lives . the priests ( spiritual fathers ) are also the same, they raise us in Christ and teach us the ways of Jesus and look after us throughout our spiritual life to follow Jesus and reach the Heaven.
So let's not take Christ's sayings as list of words or rules and orders but open our hearts and mind to the real and deeper message which He is giving us. Because Jesus words are always very simple but the meanings and thoughts of His words are always much deeper than it seems
As Saint Paul says in 2 Corn 3: 6
" not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life "
The purpose of writing this is not criticizing one sect and defense the other ( because I don't talk in what I do not know, I only talk in what I learned and know ).
This was written as an honest and direct answer to those who have this question in their minds and I hope it will be clear enough to present the truth .
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