Our
Father
“Do not
call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father; He who is in
heaven” (Matthew 23:9)
I was reading
something by F. B. Meyer, who wrote many years ago. I noticed he called
himself “Reverend” F. B. Meyer, and remembered the Scripture, “Do
not call anyone on earth your father…” (Matthew 23:9).
“Reverend” is a lot like “Father,” because we are to revere God, and not
trust in men. I wondered about calling people “Reverend,” and
remembering Matthew 23:9, thought also about the word “father”.
Many say the
word “Reverend” is all right, holding that the intention is to honor God
through the man. I’ll give you that, but what about “Father”? Words
are divisive, and the question is, how do we call someone “Father” in
the light of Matthew 23:9?
The visible
church tends to either give little honor to a person; or give a LOT of
honor, to the point where people get upset. When Jesus said “Do
not call anyone on earth your father”, we do know He was
responding to the Saducees and Pharisees, who used titles like “Doctor”
of the Law. They loved their titles more than they loved God.
"Religious"
titles concern people, whereas "secular" addresses can seem less
threatening. Most people have no problem calling the highest elected
official of our state, "Governor" such-and-such, when there is only one
Governor of this earth, and He is God. Most, if they met the monarch of
England, would address them as "Your Majesty," when, in fact, the word
"Majesty" applies only to God. He is our Supervisor, our Manager, our
President, and our King. He is Lord of all.
How do we
address someone who has a title that makes us uncomfortable? A partial
answer is in Romans 13, for it is God's intention that we honor those in
authority: "Let every soul be subject to the
governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and
the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever
resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and the authorities
that exist are appointed by God" (Romans 13:1). The next Chapter
acknowledges that we will differ on issues, but we are to “accept”
one another anyway (Romans 14:1).
ALL human
authority is imparted from and given by God. The Lord shares HIS
authority with men and women of this world; and if He did not do that,
there would be no authority at all. When we say "Your Majesty" to the
sovereign, we are indeed honoring God, who gave the title to the one who
has it at that moment. When you address them, recognize that God gives
EVERYTHING to you, to me, and to those who have those titles.
Note that the
person who has the authority, often does not know (or does not want to
know) that the authority came from God. A police officer or the dean of
a college, might feel they have positions because they completed certain
training. The reality is that every official and all ministers are
appointed by God. He provided the training and permitted the person to
acquire that position.
The
"Pharisees" and "Saducees" of Jesus' day had subtly taken the place of
God in their own thinking. This is easily seen in their treatment of
Jesus, God the Son. When God came to them, they rejected Him, as though
they somehow had authority in themselves and did not need the One who
gave it to them. This is a danger for all who hold office.
Others feel,
"I have no authority and this does not apply to me." However, all DO
have authority, in ways we might not expect. Pastor Dennis Broxton
could not move his body for the last 25 years of his life. You might
think, "He had no authority," but in his weakness, he profoundly
affected many people. He had no use of his arms, legs, and at the end,
not even his voice. And yet, the Holy Spirit continued to use him - he
reached out of that hospital bed and touched the lives of many. Now
that's authority! And it's given by God.
You affect
others. We notice you, even when you think you're "invisible" to us.
You MATTER to God, and He will use you in His service, even when you do
not know it is happening - even when you don't acknowledge Him at all.
When you don’t even care!
I was
disappointed after graduating from Bible college, that for many years,
what I considered true "ministry" eluded me. Periodic Bible teaching in
small groups (though I was pleased to do it) did not satisfy the "dream"
I felt was from God. I worked "day jobs" for years that became decades,
but I yearned for more.
And yet,
often, people in some kind of office setting or another would say to me,
"You're a Christian, aren't you?" and ask for prayer. I remember a
young man who had so insulated himself from the things of God, that it
seemed unlikely he would ever find the Lord. And so, God sent me to
him, deep within a windowless place in the heart of a factory (I did not
feel "sent" at the time). After a few discussions, he received Christ
as His Savior, and the Lord then sent me someplace else. I often
thought in those days, "Why, Lord?" but God knows what He is doing in
our lives.
The true
problem with calling a human being "father," is found in our attitudes.
People often withhold honor from others because they want to be honored
themselves. If Jesus had meant that men could no longer be addressed
with the title "father", then Paul would have made a "mistake" in
referring to Abraham as "the father of all who
believe" (Romans 4:11). He also would have "erred" in
encouraging the younger Timothy to exhort an older man as a "father"
(1 Timothy 5:1). But Paul was not wrong, for it is reasonable and godly
to honor those who have the titles of this world. And it is NOT wrong
to call our male parent: “father”.
Jesus endorsed
the commandment, "Honor your father and mother"
(Matthew 15:4), and we should also. Would you honor your father, if you
called him "Pop" or "Daddio" or "Ralph" (if that's his name), in an
attempt to avoid using the word "father?"
No. Jesus
observed our tendency to honor people, ahead of God. It's all about
priorities. We tend to revere men, when we should be honoring the God
who made those men. Peter taught us, in 1 Peter 2:17, that we should
honor "ALL" (people), and he
specifically named "the king" as one of
those we should respect. But he also said in the same verse, that we
are to "fear God." Honor everyone you
meet, but have REVERENCE for the God who made you and me.
Thank You for
Your patience with us Lord. We love you and trust in You now. In Jesus
Name. Amen.
Ron Beckham, Pastor
Friday Study Ministries
www.fridaystudy.org
Ron@fridaystudy.org
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