# Question on Matthew 23:9



## Athaleyah (Aug 25, 2008)

Mat 23:9 And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. 

I may be being too literal, but this verse has made me wonder if I should call my earthly father "father." Was this referring to calling someone "father" like RCs call their priests? I notice that the previous verse mentions that the disciples are not to be called "rabbi." This is probably the answer, but I just want to be sure. I mean if I need to call my dad "hey you," I will. 

Thanks.


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## VirginiaHuguenot (Aug 26, 2008)

This passage is indeed referring to the practice of referring to someone as a "father" in a spiritual sense, as in making them lord of your conscience, rather than referring to the natural bonds of family relationships. So it condemns the RC practice, but not the way a child may refer to the male parent. Thus, it does not contradict the Fifth Commandment duty to honor your "father" and "mother," but relates more properly to the First Commandment (see Westminster Larger Catechism 105 which uses this verse as a proof text), or perhaps the Third. 

William Gouge, _Domestical Duties_:



> Section 5.5. Of a Child's Reverend Framing His Speech to His Parent.
> 
> A Child's Reverence in Speech is Manifested:
> 
> ...


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## Leslie (Aug 26, 2008)

This is an interesting question and one that has bugged me for a long time. In a community about 10 miles away, there is a Catholic mission, with several priests. I had a passing friendship of sorts with one of these guys--a flamboyant Ethiopian who was into eastern mysticism. He and I had a running battle for several years with his wanting me to refer to him as "Abba" (father in Amharic which is a Semitic language) and my refusing to do so because of this passage. Now he's gone and the feud came up once again with his successor who introduced himself to me as "Abba" and I choked on it. Is this a battle worth pursuing?


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## kalawine (Aug 26, 2008)

VirginiaHuguenot said:


> This passage is indeed referring to the practice of referring to someone as a "father" in a spiritual sense, as in making them lord of your conscience, rather than referring to the natural bonds of family relationships. So it condemns the RC practice, but not the way a child may refer to the male parent. Thus, it does not contradict the Fifth Commandment duty to honor your "father" and "mother," but relates more properly to the First Commandment (see Westminster Larger Catechism 105 which uses this verse as a proof text), or perhaps the Third.
> 
> William Gouge, _Domestical Duties_:
> 
> ...


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## Athaleyah (Aug 26, 2008)

Thanks for the responses! That's one nagging question I can mark off my list.


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