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In Matthew 23:9 the Lord Jesus Christ said, "'''Call no man on the earth ''your father'''''" <ref>The text of this Section –[ Addressing Scribes as "my father" - Matthew 23:9 ]– is copied and adapted from the marginal note on Matthew 23:9 at [[Harmony of the Gospel (Conservative_Version) longer form Chapters 22-28#Twenty-six]]. </ref>

In Matthew 23:9 the Lord Jesus Christ said, "'''Call no man on the earth ''your father'''''" <ref>The text of this Section –[ Addressing Scribes as "my father" - Matthew 23:9 ]– is copied and adapted from the marginal note on Matthew 23:9 at [[Harmony of the Gospel (Conservative_Version) longer form Chapters 22-28#Twenty-six]]. </ref>

Jesus did not say, "''Call no man on earth, 'father' ''". He said, "''Call no man on the earth '''your''' father''". The Greek New Testament explicitly uses the word '''ὑμῶν''' ''hymōn'' "your"''':''' <br> '''καὶ πατέρα μὴ καλέσητε '''ὑμῶν''' ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς''' <br> ''kai patera mē kalesēte '''hymōn''' epi tēs gēs'' <br> (literally) "And father no call '''your''' on the earth" <br> (Gk. '''μὴ''' ''mē'' "no" = ''no'' [''one'']) <br> "And father no [one] call '''your''' on the earth" <br>  A literalistic reading of '''ὑμῶν''' ''hymon'' as "you" instead of "your" in the context of the statement makes no sense in the Greek:  "And you father no call on earth". Here '''ὑμῶν''' ''hymon'' "you, your" is the modifier of '''πατέρα''' ''patera'' "father"—"''your'' father". Some however, ignorant of the rules of Greek [[semantics]] and [[Grammar#Some Grammar Concepts|syntax]], or being dishonest scribes, twist the Greek vocabulary and grammatical structure, reading this phrase according to what they think (or would like to think) is the literal sense: "And father none call you [''your''] on earth"—"And father call you [''your''] no on earth"—"And 'father' call you not on earth". <br> Instead of this ''[[Eisegesis|eisegetical]]'' reading, the literal sense is rather: "And father not call your on earth"—"And your father call not [man] on earth."

Jesus did not say, "''Call no man on earth, 'father' ''". He said, "''Call no man on the earth '''your''' father''". The Greek New Testament explicitly uses the word '''ὑμῶν''' ''hymōn'' "your"''':''' <br> '''καὶ πατέρα μὴ καλέσητε '''ὑμῶν''' ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς''' <br> ''kai patera mē kalesēte '''hymōn''' epi tēs gēs'' <br> (literally) "And father no call '''your''' on the earth" <br> (Gk. '''μὴ''' ''mē'' "no" = ''no'' [''one'']) <br> "And father no [one] call '''your''' on the earth" <br>  A literalistic reading of '''ὑμῶν''' ''hymon'' as "you" instead of "your" in the context of the statement makes no sense in the Greek:  "And you father no call on earth". Here '''ὑμῶν''' ''hymon'' "you, your" is the modifier of '''πατέρα''' ''patera'' "father"—"''your'' father". Some however, ignorant of the rules of Greek [[semantics]] and [[Grammar#Some Grammar Concepts|syntax]], or being dishonest scribes, twist the Greek vocabulary and grammatical structure, reading this phrase according to what they think (or would like to think) is the literal sense: "And father none call you [<small>''your''</small>] on earth"—"And father call you [<small>''your''</small>] no on earth"—"And 'father' call you not on earth"—"And father none call you on earth." <br> Instead of this ''[[Eisegesis|eisegetical]]'' reading, the literal sense is rather: "And father not call your on earth"—"And your father call not [man] on earth"—"And your father call none on earth."  

See the [http://biblehub.com/interlinear/matthew/23-9.htm interlinear English and Greek text] and [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/matthew/23-9.htm ''multiple commentaries on'' Matthew 23:9].  

See the [http://biblehub.com/interlinear/matthew/23-9.htm interlinear English and Greek text] and [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/matthew/23-9.htm ''multiple commentaries on'' Matthew 23:9].  

Jesus does not say, "Do not be '''called''' fathers". <br>In verse 10, he does say, "Neither be '''called''' masters". <br>(Yet Paul and Peter address men as "masters":<br>Ephesians 6:5, 9; Colossians 3:22; 4:1; 1&nbsp;Timothy 6:1-2; Titus 2:9; 1&nbsp;Peter 2:18.)

Jesus does '''''not''''' say, "Do not be '''called''' fathers". <br>In verse 10, he '''''does''''' say, "Neither be '''called''' masters". <br>(Yet Paul and Peter address men as "masters":<br>Ephesians 6:5, 9; Colossians 3:22; 4:1; 1&nbsp;Timothy 6:1-2; Titus 2:9; 1&nbsp;Peter 2:18.)

The meaning of this text in Matthew 23:9 "''your father''" is that no male parent ''in the most absolute sense'' is to be regarded ''most ultimately'' as the true father of any son or daughter naturally sired (procreated) by him. Jesus is correcting a distortion of the meaning of Exodus 20:12 "Honor your father and your mother". <br> Middle eastern cultural tradition taught each child to regard their natural father with absolute claim to their personal loyalty and obedience, above and apart from any other consideration of affection, respect, duty and reverence they might owe to another, to mother or sibling or spouse or children or friend or comrade-in-arms or teacher or commander or king or country, or even life itself. <br> Students who came to regard their teachers and rabbis and founders of schools of knowledge with reverent affection and loyalty, even awe, for imparting the knowledge of Torah to them, were traditionally encouraged to address them as "my father" and to regard them as their spiritual fathers, ''Abba''. Jesus is setting them free of the tradition of unquestioning imitation of those abusers of legitimate Jewish authority as fathers who set aside the substance of the teaching of Moses and the scriptures for the sake of their own self-promoting customs and ritual traditions, as leaders beyond any possible reproach and as ''[[Icon]]s'' of God's Authority on earth.

The meaning of this text in Matthew 23:9 "''your father''" is that no male parent ''in the most absolute sense'' is to be regarded ''most ultimately'' as the true father of any son or daughter naturally sired (procreated) by him. Jesus is correcting a distortion of the meaning of Exodus 20:12 "Honor your father and your mother". <br> Middle eastern cultural tradition taught each child to regard their natural father with absolute claim to their personal loyalty and obedience, above and apart from any other consideration of affection, respect, duty and reverence they might owe to another, to mother or sibling or spouse or children or friend or comrade-in-arms or teacher or commander or king or country, or even life itself. <br> Students who came to regard their teachers and rabbis and founders of schools of knowledge with reverent affection and loyalty, even awe, for imparting the knowledge of Torah to them, were traditionally encouraged to address them as "my father" and to regard them as their spiritual fathers, ''Abba''. Jesus is setting them free of the tradition of unquestioning imitation of those abusers of legitimate Jewish authority as fathers who set aside the substance of the teaching of Moses and the scriptures for the sake of their own self-promoting customs and ritual traditions, as leaders beyond any possible reproach and as ''[[Icon]]s'' of God's Authority on earth.