One Father
One Father
6 They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, 7 greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’
Matthew 23:6-7
We usually think of Jesus as a kind, loving soft-spoken man on earth but in chapters like this we can see that he wasn’t just a pushover. He knew when to speak up and say the harsh truths. He saw the sins of the religious leaders, knew that they knew the truths but chose this way of life and so dug his words deep into their hearts.
The Leaders cared more about what they gained from their ministry than what they offered. They didn’t care about the people below them but simply used them as stepping stones to get higher. They loved to be called Rabbi.
8 But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren. 9 Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.
Matthew 23:8-9
Many people get confused by these words. Jesus wasn’t saying that you can’t call your earthly father as father or dad. He was not saying that you can’t call the teacher at school teacher. This was much deeper. The word Rabbi had very strong connections with God. It was a spiritual teacher and father which slowly grew to be an essential part of your salvation. It was never meant to get to this extreme.
Yes, the priests were vital in the ceremonies of the Jews when it came to the temple but they were vital, not in of themselves, but in the task that God had chosen to give to them. Yes you needed the priest to partake of the sacrifice, but not because he was a better human being. The priests themselves had to do the same sacrifices for themselves.
Unfortunately, because of that specialty that God chose to give to the Levites, the leaders let that get to their heads. They began to believe they truly were better and more important. That is what Jesus is against here. That is why he says, ‘you are all brethren’. We are all the same. We are all sinners who fall short of the glory of God and therefore need Jesus and his salvation.
We are all equal in God’s eyes. Let us treat each other in the same way and with the same eyes.
God bless,
Pr. Steven Couto