Matthew 23:8-11

a “But as for you, do not you be called Rabbi,

b For one is your teacher (didaskalos), and all you are brothers.

c And call no man your father on the earth,

d For one is your Father, even he who is in heaven.”

c Nor be you called esteemed teachers (kathegetes),

b For one is your Esteemed Teacher (kathegetes), even the Christ.

a But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.”

Note that in ‘a' they are not to be called ‘my great one', but in the parallel are to seek to be the humblest servant, for in that way lies true greatness. In ‘b' they are to look only to one Teacher, Jesus, and in the parallel only to have one Master. In ‘c' none is to be called ‘father' on earth, and in the parallel they are not to be called ‘masters'. Centrally in ‘d' all emphasis is to be on their Father in Heaven.

Jesus then firmly uses the Scribes and Pharisees as an object lesson. ‘As for you' He says. The ‘you' is emphatic. It is contrasting those who serve Him with the Scribes and Pharisees. Those who follow Him are not to be like them, and He gives three examples of what must be avoided:

* They must eschew being seen as great teachers, or as ‘great ones' (Rabbi means ‘my great one' and is often translated into Greek as didaskalos) because they are all brothers, from the least to the greatest, and they have only one ‘Great Teacher' (didaskalos translates Rabbi). This idea of the ‘Great Teacher' probably has in mind such references as Jeremiah 31:33, ‘I will put My Law in their inward parts and in their hearts will I write it, and I will be their God (and thus their Great One) -- and they will no more teach every man his neighbour, saying, “Know the Lord”. For all will know Me from the least to the greatest' (compare Job 36:22; Isaiah 2:3; Micah 4:2; Exo 4:12; 1 Kings 8:36; Psalms 25:9; Psalms 25:12; Psalms 32:8; Psalms 71:17; Psalms 94:12; Psalms 119:102; Isaiah 48:17; John 6:45; 1 Thessalonians 4:9). Thus there will be none who have special or esoteric knowledge. All will equally have access to the truth directly from God (1 Corinthians 2:10), Who alone is the Great Teacher.

Everyone who teaches must therefore be aware that his own illumination is from God, and that if those who hear them are to be illuminated it is God Who will do it by His Spirit. Thus they can take no credit to themselves. And what is especially forbidden is to accept a title which is seen as giving special distinction and superiority, for that is the road to spiritual disaster. All must rather be as brothers contributing on the basis of the gifts that God gives them without any sense of superiority, each with his own gift, because in the end it is God Who teaches all, and they but teach as His messengers. It is He Who is the Great One, not they. Thus within the ‘congregation' no one is to be seen as ‘superior' to the others, and as having special sources of knowledge from God. All have the same source by the Spirit. (The Scribes did in fact consider that they had such esoteric knowledge in the Traditions of the Elders which were passed on secretly from teacher to teacher and was known to no others except as they revealed it). The church is thus to be an equal ‘brotherhood' with none seen as superior to another.

* They must not call anyone their ‘father' on earth, that is, ‘fathers' from a religious point of view. There was a tendency to look back to ‘the fathers' in the sense of their being esteemed figures of the past whose wisdom was to be acknowledged and treated as sacrosanct, and thus being seen as deserving of special reverence, and possibly even to see especially revered guiding figures at that time as ‘fathers'. This last would naturally follow from their view of past esteemed figures as ‘fathers', and for example, Shammai and Hillel (1st century BC) were described as ‘the fathers of the world'. But among His disciples there was not to be such a relationship where men were given special and superior recognition. There was to be no special class called ‘fathers'. For they had only One Who was their Father, and with Whom they should have that special relationship, and that was ‘their Father in Heaven'.

This last description is especially emphatic as it is the only definite use of ‘your Father in Heaven' since Matthew 7:11, and ‘your Father' since Matthew 10:29 (but see on Matthew 18:14). Since then Jesus has spoken of ‘My Father' or ‘the Father'. So here He is very much referring back to the ‘community' of disciples which was in mind in the Sermon on the Mount. And the point is very much that each believer must look directly to his Father in Heaven and not be so dependent on others in that he calls any such his ‘father' in religious matters. (This is very specific. To seek to get round this in order to justify calling religious figures ‘father' is to be as guilty in God's eyes as the Scribes and Pharisees, whatever sophistry we use to justify it. The use of the title of ‘father' by ministers of a church is to go directly against what Jesus is saying here, and it generally has the same consequences of spiritual conceit and of a sense of superiority. Thank God for those who avoid it!).

* They are not to be called ‘esteemed teacher' (or ‘master'), for they have only one Esteemed Teacher and that is the Christ. Once again the emphasis is on the fact that they must look to One and not to the many. No one is to take His place as their leader and guide and illuminator. He is their trek leader through life (Hebrews 2:10). Note here the unusual and rare reference to ‘Christ'. It was, of course, necessary in these words spoken in the Temple courtyard to use such a designation. It would have raised a huge outcry had Jesus said openly that He was the only Teacher to Whom men should listen, and He would have laid Himself open to accusations of megalomania and arrogance. But none present would have denied that the coming Messiah could be seen in such a way, while at the same time the disciples (Matthew 16:16) and the readers (Matthew 1:1; Matthew 1:17) know to Whom He is referring, and soon all will know. This is one of those incidental situations where what appears unusual suddenly makes perfect sense.

Jesus whole purpose here therefore is to prevent the giving of ‘titles of exaltation' to members in His community, titles which could lead on to them being treated with special reverence to their hurt. His aim is rather to turn their whole attention to their Heavenly Father and to Himself, and to ensure that that attitude is maintained. It was especially important as the powers that He has given them might lead to their being seen as ‘gods'. This paralleling of Himself with the Father is again an indication of His unique claim for Himself, compatible with such statements as Matthew 10:32; Matthew 11:19; Matthew 11:27; Matthew 12:6; Matthew 12:8; Matthew 12:28; Matthew 12:41; Matthew 13:47 with 41; Matthew 16:16; Matthew 19:28; Matthew 20:23; Matthew 21:37; Matthew 21:42; Matthew 22:2; Matthew 22:45. All are therefore to look to a Heavenly Father and to His Christ, and are rather to see each other as servants, and genuinely behave in that way, and the Apostles are to see themselves as the least of all. In all this there is a fine line to be drawn between what is justified and what is not, but any title that gives a person a sense of superiority within the congregation, or makes them be seen as acting in the place of God, is to be eschewed. (‘My Lord Bishop' never did anyone any good, and the intelligent ones who had any spirituality indulged in self-mockery). For they are to be seen as channels, and not as deserving in their own eyes of any more reverence than every true believer (let each esteem others as better than himself - Philippians 2:3). Nor are they to be exalted by the congregation for what they are in themselves. Indeed once a person becomes proud of his ‘title', rather than being genuinely humbled by it, he should discard it at once, for whatever it then is to others it has become for him the devil's tool and will only hinder his ministry.

‘Rabbi.' This is not evidenced as an officially designated title before 70 AD, but it had already become a means of addressing those considered deserving of special reverence and respect. It was used with regard to both John the Baptist and Jesus, although neither sought it. But already it had clearly begun to do its fatal work of destroying men's humility.

‘Father.' To use this title implies ‘fathers and sons' (authority and those under authority) as opposed to ‘brothers and sisters', for in those days the father was an authoritative figure as well as the one looked to by the whole family for guidance and instruction and as the source of their life. The latter reason was why Paul could describe his own ministry in terms of being like a father (1 Corinthians 4:15; Philippians 2:22), but his use of the word was defined by the context. It was a sign of affection and love. But he would not have accepted anyone calling him ‘Father' in any religious sense, for Jesus had here taught that no one was to be put in such a position of authority and superiority.

‘Esteemed teachers.' (The plural suggests that this was not an official title, but rather a way of seeing someone). The word is used only here in the New Testament. It is used elsewhere of teachers, and especially of personal tutors, and contains within it something of the idea of rulership and of the esteem in which teachers were held, and of the authority that was theirs (teachers and tutors were the equivalent of ‘masters' of their students, who were as ‘slaves' to them, and they had great and often painful authority over them). Thus again they were to remember that Christ and no other was to be their authoritative teacher, their Master. He alone had Mastery over His followers. All others were to be as servants without claiming a similar mastery. There is a vital point here that had it been observed would have transformed church history. No one is to ‘stand in' for Christ on earth. All must look directly to Him. Discipline within the church was to be a discipline of love and forgiveness with account given directly to Him (see chapter 18). Note how by comparison with the above this puts the Messiah (Jesus Himself) on a par with God as the great and esteemed Teacher and Master of all.

‘But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.' Compare here Matthew 18:3; Matthew 20:26; Luke 22:26). Jesus finishes off the list by pointing out why they are to do all this. It is because the truly great among the people of God are those who, like Him, give themselves in service. They genuinely see themselves as humble servants, thus they eschew titles. (Once we put a capital letter on ‘Servant' it becomes a forbidden title, when Paul called himself the slave of Jesus Christ he did not intend it to become a title). If they therefore wish to be the greatest, and for God to call them ‘great one', they must humble themselves totally in service (as He did when He washed their dirty and dusty feet from a cheap earthenware jar when no one else would do so - John 13:1. There is no humility in it when it is performed as a ceremony from a golden bowl. It has become a gesture like that of the Pharisees). This is Jesus' constant theme (Matthew 18:4; Matthew 20:25; Luke 12:36; Luke 12:42; Luke 18:14; Luke 22:26).

Once again a fine line has to be drawn. Humility and service does not mean always giving in and never standing up for the truth. The servant is responsible to look after his Master's interests to the best of his ability with the help of God, and that can often mean God's servants standing together and standing firm, and often being seen as awkward. But while it is done firmly it must also be done in true humility and love, and with no thought of self-interest, at the same time avoiding any individual taking over the Mastery (this last is the bit we find difficult, especially if we are naturally strong-minded). Christ must ever truly be Master. Here He tells us that while we are to act in His name and in consultation with Him, we are not stand in for Him. We are rather to let Him minister through us.