Rabbi! Rabbi!

Speaking of the Pharisees in Matthew 23 Christ said,

But you must not be called Rabbi, for One is your teacher, Christ, and you are all brothers. And call no one your father on the earth, for One is your Father in Heaven. Nor be called teachers, for One is your Teacher, even Christ. But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.

Sometimes we may scratch our heads when we read this verse. Didn't Christ give some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and some teachers (Ephesians 4:11)? Didn't Paul call Timothy his "own son in the faith" (1 Timothy 1:2)? Didn't Paul call himself the father of the brethren in Corinth (1 Corinthians 4:15)? How then does Christ say we should not be called fathers or teachers?

The answer, as always, is in the context. In the preceding verses in Matthew 23, Jesus is speaking of the Pharisees and notes,

And they love the first couch at feasts, the chief seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the market-places, and to be called "Rabbi! Rabbi!" by men.

Jesus is primarily warning about those seeking preeminence. There is nothing wrong with acknowledging that a man does the work of a teacher. It is another thing to called teacher and to be elevated above your brethren. Note the contrast that Jesus draws in His admonition. "Call no man Rabbi, for One is your Teacher, Christ, and you are all brethren." There are several applications I think can be drawn from this passage.

Equal Servants

First and foremost we should observe what Jesus was clearly teaching in this passage. All Christians are brethren and we all stand on an equal footing before God. "There is neither Jew nor Gentile, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:28).

There is no place in the kingdom for those that are ambitious for power, prestige and recognition. If you want a place of honor and distinction, you don't know the Lord that you serve. He "emptied himself, and took on the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. And being found in the form of a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross." (Philippians 2:7-8).

We are all servants of the same master. We don't have task masters, but fellow servants. Even those in leadership positions (elders, aka bishops, pastors) are often the greatest servants of the church, sacrificing time and energy, and patiently enduring mistreatment and abuse. If you want to be great in the kingdom, you need to be the servant of all.

Equal Disciples

A disciple is a learner and a follower. Christ never intended that a few disciples should learn and tell the rest what to do. In the early church there was no clergy. Unlearned men were Christ's apostles. Anyone who could hear and remember the word could teach it to others. The gospel is not complicated. It was never intended to be the subject of Th.D. dissertations. Jesus said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of Heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent, and have revealed them to babes" (Luke 10:21).

We all have the responsibility to learn for ourselves. We need to study the scriptures and know that we can understand it as well as or better than the seminary student. We need to put aside the preconceptions of centuries of theological theorizing and just read the word. Chances are any particular passage means exactly what it seems to mean. And when we understand it, we need to live it.

Beware the Title

Finally, I think it is fair to question the use of "honorifics". Why does anyone expect to be called reverend? Christ could as easily have said, "Call no man reverend, for One is to be revered, your Father in heaven." Does that not fit the gist of His teaching? I believe we need to be very wary of those that seek out such titles. The scriptural work of an evangelist is to preach the word, not to build large multi-million dollar church-businesses. The work of an evangelist is to reach the lost, not to create a larger-than-life television personality. Though many such endeavors may begin with honest and good intentions, it is all to easy for things to get out of hand. It can eventually take on a life of its own and, instead of glorifying God, it can become all about the servant -- his power, his prestige, his income, and his fame.

"But you must not be called Rabbi, for One is your teacher, Christ, and you are all brothers."
Amen.

-PG