And on earth call no one your “father,” because One is your Father: He who is in heaven.
With these words Jesus explains that the true Father of believers is not a human being, but God. He does not forbid calling parents “father” in the natural sense, but speaks about spiritual authority. The Pharisees loved to be called “father” as spiritual leaders, and in that way they kept people in dependence on them. Jesus reminds them that spiritual fatherhood belongs only to God, because he is the source of life and truth. All people, even leaders, are equal as God’s children. Thus, Jesus does not abolish human respect, but rejects the system in which people try to take God’s place. The image of the true Father belongs to God: loving, forgiving, and life-giving.