Do you think there may be more to it than that? Maybe what we should look at is the context that the word father is used.  This issue is of course brought up only because Catholics call their priests “father” and the pope “holy father”.  Once again, the enemy is using words and false teaching to confuse and bring conflict and disagreement.  Is this a matter of salvation? Then maybe we should focus on sharing the Good News rather than convert one another.

 But I digress. For apologetic purposes, one could look at the use of the word “father” this way.

 First, where does this no calling anyone “father” comes from?

Mt 23:9

9 You must call no one on earth your father, since you have only one Father, and he is in heaven.

But look at the context.  What came before? The preaching of the Rabbi’s, Pharisees and others (hypocrites)

 Then what follows?

Mt 23:10-12

10 Nor must you allow yourselves to be called teachers, for you have only one Teacher, the Christ. 

11 The greatest among you must be your servant. 

12 Anyone who raises himself up will be humbled, and anyone who humbles himself will be raised up.   

Does this mean nobody that’s gone to school can go to heaven or they’ve sinned because they we all called our instructors teachers?  Of course not. He is teaching that they should not call others or be called names of honor for their own honor sake.  Not to have false pride and lift themselves to a holier than though state.  So whether one is called father or teacher or pastor or minister or catechist or any other title, it should not be for pride sake or the sake of putting one in a holier than though position.  The only one that is Holier than though is God.  We are ALL sinners and we ALL fall short.

The pope, priests, teachers, attorneys, judges, rabbis, and others don’t fall within what this context is meant unless they have the sin of pride and hypocrisy.  Now they could, anyone can fall into the sin of pride etc. But we shouldn’t judge.

Mt 19:19 Jesus confirms the commandment, “honor thy father and mother”

Mt 3:9 Jesus calls Abraham “father”
Acts 7:2 St. Stephen calls Jewish leaders “fathers”
Acts 21:40, 22:1 St. Paul calls Jerusalem Jews “fathers”
Rom 4:16-17 Abraham called “the father of us all”
1 Cor 4:14-15 I became you father in Christ through the Gospel
Heb 12:7-9 we have earthly fathers to discipline us
Lk 14:16 if anyone comes to me without hating his father
1 Thess 2:11 we treated you as a father treats his children
Philem 10 whose father I became in my imprisonment
1 Jn 2:13,14 I write to you, fathers, because you know him