Matthew 23:9 [One Is Your Father, Which Is in Heaven]

[Things to Meditate On]

1. This word can easily be misunderstood as meaning that we should disregard our earthly fathers, that is, our physical parents. If this word is misunderstood in that way, then as in the passage below, we may make the commandment of God of none effect by the tradition of men.

Matthew 15:4-6 “4For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. 5But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; 6And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.”

In truth, the Bible testifies that our Father is God, but we must also remember that concerning our physical parents, God said, “Honour thy father and thy mother” (Exodus 20:12) as the fifth commandment among the Ten Commandments. In the passage from Deuteronomy below, God also spoke through Moses, saying that one must not make light of one’s parents, and He had all the people say “Amen” to that word.

Deuteronomy 27:16 “Cursed be he that setteth light by his father or his mother. And all the people shall say, Amen.”

And through these words, we can learn the “order” that we must first fear the word of God, and then honor our physical parents. Ephesians clearly teaches us this by saying, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord.” In other words, even the words of our parents cannot come before the word of God. This is because our physical parents, just like us, were also made by God.

Ephesians 6:1-3 “1Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. 2Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; 3That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.”

Job 31:15 “Did not he that made me in the womb make him? and did not one fashion us in the womb?”

2. Through the words below, which declare that God created all things and all people in this world, we can clearly know that our true Father is God.

Genesis 1:1, 27 “1In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 27So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”

John 1:1-3, 10-13 “1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2The same was in the beginning with God. 3All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 10He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. 11He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 12But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

Hebrews 12:8-10 “8But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. 9Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? 10For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.”

3. However, because of man’s sin, mankind became enemies of God, who is the true Father. As a result, we all became by nature the children of wrath, were without Christ, were strangers from the covenants of promise, and had no hope and were without God in the world (Ephesians 2:3, 12). To such people as us, God sent Jesus into this world as the last Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45), and through Jesus Christ He made peace again between us and God, with whom we had been enemies (Ephesians 2:13-16). He also enabled us to receive the adoption of sons, so that we may call God our Father.

Galatians 4:1-7 “1Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; 2But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father. 3Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: 4But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, 5Made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. 6And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. 7Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.”

[Decision and Application]

Thus, through the word of Jesus in Matthew 23:9 above, that He who is in heaven is our Father, we are able to consider not only the fact that God is our Father, but also through whom we have come to call Him who is in heaven our Father again, and how we should now live after knowing that we are His sons. As we have seen above, it is entirely because of Jesus that we have received the adoption of sons, have come to call God our Father again, and have even become able to inherit the Father’s inheritance. This is the result of Jesus’ obedience unto death for us (Hebrews 5:7-9). Therefore, now we also must live with a willing heart to partake in the present sufferings together with Jesus, for the coming glory in which He will allow us to participate “as sons” (Revelation 1:9).

Romans 8:14-18 “14For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 15For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. 18For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”

The present suffering in which we are to participate is nothing other than “the suffering we endure for the gospel” (2 Timothy 1:8). The reason that living for the gospel must be suffering for us is that the desires within us, and the world and the things of the world, are opposed to the words of Jesus (Romans 7:17-25, John 15:18-19). Therefore, denying ourselves in order to follow Jesus (Luke 9:23) and not loving the world nor the things in the world (1 John 2:15-17) are, for us, very difficult sufferings. However, because the suffering we receive in order to obey the gospel is not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us (Romans 8:18), we, “as sons of God,” must rejoice when we suffer because of the gospel (Acts 5:40-41), and we must glorify God in the name of Jesus because He has allowed us to partake in the sufferings of Christ (1 Peter 4:12-16). This is acceptable before God, and it is the example that Jesus Himself showed us (1 Peter 2:18-21).

1 Peter 4:12-16 “12Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: 13But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. 14If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you. 15But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters. 16Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.”

1 Peter 2:18-21 “18Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward. 19For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. 20For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. 21For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps.”

Amen.